Servanthood as Worship: The Privilege of Life in a Local Church [Paperback]

Nate Palmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2010

Browse a Christian book website or bookstore and notice all there is for leaders and would-be leaders. We are inundated with studies of leaders, keys to leadership, and tips on becoming a leader. But how many books inspire us simply to serve one another? How many books involving servanthood are not tied to leadership and basically about leadership? The appeal of leadership has hijacked the biblical call to servanthood. As a result, we major on a role that will only ever be held by a few, and we largely ignore a role that ought to be held by every Christian. What ever happened to servanthood? Servanthood as Worship offers Christians a biblical understanding of their calling to serve in the local church, motivated by the grace that is ours in the gospel. It has the potential to revitalize service teams in churches across the world, from brand new church plants to long-established congregations.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"In an age where the church can be likened to Cinderella - beautiful, but largely ignored and forgotten - Nate Palmer's brief book forces us to rethink both the church and our relationship to her. In an age where egocentrism ensures we sing, 'O say, can you see - what's in it for me?' on a weekly basis, Palmer forces us to say instead, 'How can I best serve the church?' Looking at the needs of others rather than one's own is possibly the most serious deficiency in the church today. Reading this book will help redress the deficiency. I heartily recommend it."
- Derek W H Thomas, Richards Professor of Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson); Minister of Teaching, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS

"Think of these pages as a handbook. Put this handbook into the hands of your people and you will give them a sustainable, practical vision for serving in the local church that is powered by grace. Along the way, they will also pick up a mini theological education."
- Justin Buzzard, pastor, San Francisco Bay Area; author of Date Your Wife, BuzzardBlog.com

"In our media-crazed, me-first culture, the art of the basin and the towel has been shoved off onto those who get paid to serve - certainly a call to serve in humility can't be God's will for all of us, or could it? In this helpful little book, Nate Palmer gets at the heart of our resistance and portrays our dear Savior's humiliation in his acts of service for us - not only as our example but also as our righteousness. I strongly recommend this book."
- Elyse Fitzpatrick, author of Because He Loves Me and Give Them Grace

About the Author

Nate Palmer and his wife, Steph, have three young kids and live in Dallas. Nate currently works for the consulting firm HP Enterprise Services as a Manufacturing Practice Principal. He is pursuing an M.A. from Reformed Theological Seminary and his articles have appeared in Modern Reformation and Reformed Perspectives Magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (December 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1456380044
• ISBN-13: 978-1456380045
• Product Dimensions: 0.2 x 4.9 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #329,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The book I wish I had written December 1, 2010

By Chris Poblete

Format:Paperback

Nate Palmer's Servanthood as Worship: The Privilege of Life in a Local Church is the book I wish I had written. Over the last year, I have read several books (the stack still towering over my desk) on discipleship, ecclesiology, missiology, and church leadership. I often found myself quoting helpful passages from these books in counseling sessions, except I would reword them--extrapolating the "leadership" lingo and replacing it with "everyday christian" sentiments--since many of the young men and women I was advising were simply not called to formal positions of leadership in the local church.

Eventually, I decided to muster up the discipline to begin writing a book proposal or a series of blog posts on the joys and responsibilities of the everyday church member. As providence would have it, this is when Nate Palmer dropped his new book Servanthood as Worship: The Privilege of Life in a Local Church in my lap (virtually--via e-mail). By the end of the first chapter, I found myself confessing to friends that his book is much better than the one I was writing in my head.

Servanthood as Worship is, quite simply, a call to biblical servanthood in the life of a local church. Unfortunately, this is a seldom-touched subject in the Christian publishing sphere. The book's website accurately reports:

"Books that promote servanthood tend to be about leadership. But how many books inspire us simply to serve one another?

The appeal of leadership has hijacked the biblical call to servanthood. As a result, we major on a role that will only ever be held by a few, and we largely ignore a role that ought to be held by every Christian. Whatever happened to servanthood?..."

Palmer says the purpose of his book "is to present a biblical vision of service so that believers from all sorts of churches can say, along with Joshua, `But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord' (Joshua 24:15)." Servanthood as Worship is a call for every Christian to serve God not as praiseworthy merit, but rather as a grateful response to the gospel.

So what about the book's content? Staying true to his commitment to provide a biblical vision of servanthood, Palmer introduces nine biblical and gospel-centered themes of servanthood throughout the book's 108 pages. Each theme practically leads to the next and gets its own chapter:

1.Servanthood: The Ministry of All Believers
2.Lineage: Service Began with God in Christ
3.Context: The Local Church is Our Base for Service
4.Glory: God's Character and Works
5.Appreciation: I Can Serve Because I Appreciate Who God Is, Who I Am, and What He Has Done for Me
6.Adoration: I can Serve as I Desire and Enjoy God's Active Presence
7.Affection: I Can Serve Motivated by Love for the Saved and Unsaved
8.Subjection: I Can Serve Because I Do Not Belong to Myself
9.Perspective: Building the Church Eternal

Having read few books dealing with a biblical view of servanthood for the everyday local church member, it was a challenge and a blessing to me to read Servanthood as Worship. The challenge came through Palmer's transparent humility, admitting his own self-serving misuses of ministry and service. He confesses this right out of the gate in chapter one, and I found myself confronted on the pages with him.

I was blessed to find so much Bible and so much gospel on literally every page. Palmer offers little of his own wisdom and much of the Bible's. This is refreshing, and it might be the main reason I kept self-reflecting on the thoughts and intentions of my own heart regarding servanthood (Hebrews 4:12). Palmer reminds readers that, ultimately, servanthood is not merit-driven nor leadership-driven nor purpose-driven nor even people-driven. Ultimately, it is gospel-driven. Biblical servanthood begins and finishes in the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ and exists for him and his bride, the Church.

Biblical servanthood is empowered by the gospel, driven by the gospel, and sustained by the gospel, for the joy of all peoples and to the glory of God. What a helpful exhortation.

I recommend this book if you--like me--are an average person who needs a practical and biblical vision of servanthood. Prayerfully read this book, and it will serve both you and your church well. Just be sure to apply generously.

If you are a pastor or elder at your church, you may want to keep a box of Servanthood as Worship on hand for your members. Consider the endorsement by Justin Buzzard: "Think of these pages as a handbook. Put this handbook into the hands of your people and you will give them a sustainable, practical vision for serving in the local church that is powered by grace." Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gospel-driven Service December 9, 2010

By James B. Davis

Format:Paperback

For people like me who don't like serving, the title of this book might be as inviting as a book called "Flossing as a Way of Life" might be to people who hate to floss their teeth (I confess that I'm one of those too). A bold title indeed, but Palmer knows something about God's people that we tend to forget: we are made to serve because we are made to "glorify God and magnify the gospel to the benefit of others" (page 12). The true hearts of those who have been made new creations by the power of the gospel and the Spirit will be drawn to this topic because they know that since Christ has served them with His life they are compelled to serve Him with theirs (2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Ephesians 2:10).

This is an important book. Here are a few reasons why I'm thrilled to recommend it to you:

* Palmer has served the Church well by packing a rich biblical theology of service into a small package. He draws from a wealth of Scripture, sound doctrine, and the writings of past and present Bible-soaked teachers to inform our heads, inspire our hearts, and incline our hands to serve.
* Palmer focuses on the local church as the context for Christian service. In an age where we are tempted to be consumer Christians who shop around to find the church that "fits us" and "meets our needs," this book reminds us that we are to focus on how God would use us to build up the body of Christ, not on "what's in it for me." As one who is employed by a church, I, too, needed my own attitude adjusted by this gospel-soaked call to service.
* Palmer avoids using "shoulds" and "ought tos" to motivate us to serve. He keeps the focus on Jesus as He is offered to us in the gospel, the One who "came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).... This book is about Gospel-driven, not guilt-driven service. A friend of mine often says "If you want the fruit of redemption, preach redemption." Service to God and others is a fruit of redemption, and so Palmer preaches redemption on every page.

CruciformPress is proving to be a trustworthy source for gospel-centered reading that serves the body of Christ well. This book is quite different than the first two releases, but it holds true to its publisher's aim to offer resources that are "Short. Clear. Concise. Helpful. Inspiring. Gospel-focused."

Thank you Nate and CruciformPress for your service to Christ and us. Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Straight-forward and Biblical March 3, 2011

By Daniel Spencer

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just got around to reading the CruciformPress December release, Servanthood as Worship by Nate Palmer. What a great book.

The book is a fantastic Biblical look at servanthood from a very theological point of view. Nate Palmer doesn't just simply say that Christians should serve, but he takes the time to build his case on why Christians should serve. Ultimately, Palmer's reasoning for why we should serve is wholly grounded in the servanthood of Jesus Christ.

The book dives so much deeper than other books I've read on the subject (for example, The Volunteer Revolution: Unleashing the Power of Everybody by Willow Creek's Bill Hybels). We don't simply serve because it feels good, because it gives us an in for the gospel or because the Pastor says so. Palmer lays a beautiful groundwork for Christian service in the following 9 chapters:

* Servanthood: The Ministry of All Believers
* Lineage: Service Began with God in Christ
* Context: The Local Church is Our Base for Service
* Glory: God's Character and Works
* Appreciation: I Can Serve Because I Appreciate Who God Is, Who I Am, and What He Has Done for Me
* Adoration: I can Serve as I Desire and Enjoy God's Active Presence
* Affection: I Can Serve Motivated by Love for the Saved and Unsaved
* Subjection: I Can Serve Because I Do Not Belong to Myself
* Perspective: Building the Church Eternal

The writing is well done, and straight to the point (only about 100 pages in print).... While each chapter opens with a clever connection to the author's own genealogy or the career of a pro baseball player, these themes are quickly connected to the purpose of the chapter in an interesting, meaningful way.

The pages are absolutely dripping with Scripture, and powerful quotes from classic theological works and church history. The book was a joy to read - I finished it in just a couple of nights. Read more ›