Planning Blended Worship: The Creative Mixture of Old and New [Paperback]

Robert Webber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998

Planning Blended Worship: The Creative Mixture of Old and New is a guide to planning creative worship for congregations that follow the traditional fourfold pattern of worship (gathering, word, table, and dismissal), or those who prefer a free-church, evangelical style, but who are also interested in the core practices (space, texts, and so forth) that have characterized Christian worship throughout the centuries. Robert Webber designed this volume to show pastors, music directors, and other worship leaders the practical, structural, and theological steps for designing worship services characterized by biblical depth, historical awareness, and contemporary relevance. The author includes charts and forms at the end of each chapter that clearly show how music and other arts can be integrated with liturgical texts.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

2001 Robert Webber is President of The Institute for Worship-Studies, affiliated with Wheaton Graduate School in Wheaton, Illinois, and Myers Professor of Ministry, Northern Seminary, Lombard, Ill. He has written more than a dozen books on worship (and other topics) and was the editor of The Complete Library of Christian Worship. He is active in the North American Academy of Liturgy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0687032237
• ISBN-13: 978-0687032235
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #585,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Participation in Old and New, September 16, 2001

By 

Mark S Krenz (Anderson, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Planning Blended Worship: The Creative Mixture of Old and New (Paperback)

This book by Robert Webber was very insightful. Written for immediate application and practice by worship leaders, it was helpful in understanding true blended worship. Blended worship is more than singing both hymns and choruses, or having a band and a choir. Blended worship merges the rich tradition of the faith in its worship practices with contemporary culture. Webber effectively expounds the fourfold pattern of worship for today's church.

I was especially encouraged by the effectiveness of creating opportunities for participation throughout a service. So many elements of our worship allow the worshipper to be a passive recipient instead of an active participant. Much can be gained from the richness and depth of true blended worship which Webber not only talks about, but gives practical guidance for. Below I will list three thesis that I found useful from this text.

First, in the 1990's two forms of worship renewal, liturgical and contemporary merged into what is now called "blended worship." Blended worship is characterized by three concerns: "first, to be rooted in the biblical early church tradition; Second, to draw from the resources of the entire church; and third, a radical commitment to contemporary relevance (16)."

Second, in planning worship a distinction must be made between content, structure, and style. The content is unchanging. It is always about the triune God. The structure is the established fourfold pattern of Gathering, the Word, Thanksgiving and Dismissal, practiced since the early church. While the content and structure of worship remain fixed, the style is always changing. "There is no one style of worship that is suitable for all people always and everywhere (21)."

Third, as culture shifts from a modern to a post-modern paradigm, the style and approach to worship must shift as well. There is a renewed interest in the visual and experiential elements of worship. "In contemporary society the heart is reached through participation, and all approaches to worship - traditional, contemporary, or blended - need to learn how to achieve services characterized by immersed participation (29)."

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Guide for Creative Worship Planning, September 15, 2001

By 

Michael D. Hone (Hickory, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Planning Blended Worship: The Creative Mixture of Old and New (Paperback)

In recent years we have witnessed a seismic shift from an emphasis on dynamic preaching (sermon-driven service) to dynamic music and worship (worship-driven service). Additionally we have seen the rise of contemporary worship in the life of the church. "Planning Blended Worship" by Robert Webber is a guide which helps congregational worship leaders plan worship in a create manner, mixing and blending the old and the new together.

Webber believes that effective worship can blend the traditional fourfold pattern of worship (gathering, word, table, and dismissal) with the free-flowing forms found in many churches today. He believes that blended worship is characterized by three concerns: "to be rooted in the biblical and early church traditions; to draw from the resources of the entire church; and a radical commitment to contemporary relevance" (1998:16). Each chapter includes helpful charts and diagrams and a concluding ?guideline? section allows the reader to personally work through the preceding material.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blending Contemporary and Traditional Worship, August 8, 2001

By 

Randal R. Huber (York Springs, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Planning Blended Worship: The Creative Mixture of Old and New (Paperback)

If you are interested in how you can practically integrate contemporary worship elements with traditional worship forms and structures, Planning Blended Worship is for you. Webber is the guru of worship with a broad breadth of knowledge and insight. In Planning Blended Worship, Webber notes that Christians in America once sought the best preaching. Now they seek the best worship. Worship is the "center of the hourglass". "Everything the church does moves toward public worship and all its ministries proceed from worship" (1998:29). Webber argues that protestant worship renewal is moving in the direction of restoring the fourfold structure of gathering together, hearing the Word, responding with thanksgiving and being commissioned forth into the world (1998:15). He argues that blended worship is characterized by three primary concerns: to be rooted in biblical and early church traditions, to draw from the resources of the entire church and a commitment to contemporary relevance. Utilizing his excellent knowledge of traditional, biblical and contemporary worship practice and theology, Webber draws together numerous practical resources. Following Webber's practical planning guidelines, these resources when used creatively and with variation can make blended worship awesome.