Return to Worship: A God-Centered Approach

This diverse collection of letters by Ron Owens to the church and various individuals and leaders of worship is challenging, gut-honest, and inspiring. Owens takes an honest look at worship in the church of America today and is calling the church to a higher standard. He helps us look beneath the surface issues of worship styles and music programs to the heart of worship.Owen's fundamental starting points are that God alone is worthy of our worship, and that we were created to worship God. Worship begins and ends with the sovereign Lord. We must learn to come to God on his terms and embody this worship in our everyday lives.While the letters in part one of this book address the church and its worship, the letters in part two are addressed to worship leaders. These letters take on a more practical tone and offer great wisdom regarding worship issues ranging from how we should understand and practice baptism and communion to the appropriate place of applause in worship.This book is a wonderful resource for worship leaders not only for personal and professional challenge, but for use with worship boards, teams, and choirs. These letters are thought-provoking and convicting and could inspire tremendous change in the hearts of readers willing to make changes in their worship of God.

In "Return to Worship" Owens writes thirty-seven "letters" to the church, worship leaders, pastors, and ministers of music. The letters express a deep love and passion for worship and addresses concerns facing the church today in relation to worship. Owens' letter-writing style creates a sense of personal identification. It is as if the author addressed these letters to me! Owens calls the church to focus upon God and forms of worship must not cloud that focus. In fact, Owens confronts the issue of music in worship and says, "to many, worship is music, and music is worship, and many worship music" (1999:6).Broad ranges of issues are addressed including music, audiovisuals, sacraments, applause in worship and many others. In addition to raising these practical concerns for worship Owens concludes with four helpful appendixes (a choir covenant, a checklist for worship leaders, twenty-four questions to ask yourself in preparation for the Lord's Supper, and an article entitled "When Church Was Just Church: Worship Center or Theatre?")."Return to Worship" is a wonderfully practical book; a must-read for pastors and those responsible for providing worship leadership in the local church.

Convicting and prophetic, Ron Owens challenges pastors, worship leaders, choirs and congregations to ask hard questions about their worship. Owens writes thirty-seven "letters" addressing key issues facing worshippers today. Return to Worship is unashamedly biblical. Owens calls the reader to keep God absolutely central in worship. Here are some of his more convicting concepts. One of the root problems in worship is: "We don't know our God" (1999:9). "The church today is being shaped more by our culture than by the cross" (1999:21). "...How we respond to what comes to us each day most clearly reveals whether we are worshippers at heart" (1999:42). "There is no redemption without an attitude of worship" (1999:47). "We cannot claim for ourselves the glory that belongs to God alone and expect our worship to be acceptable to Him" (1999:54). "Some pastors view their responsibility as: "to keep everybody happy rather than pointing the people to God and teaching them to be holy" (1999:58). "No revival in history has begun with a self-satisfied people" (1999:68). "He who will not serve does not worship" (1999:71). "Research has shown that much of the growth of our larger churches has been at the expense of smaller churches" (1999:79). "Often the only scripture read during the gathering is the few verses read by a pastor before he preaches" (1999:99). "Use the choruses but don't deny this generation the riches of its past" (1999:107). "We are not called to be entertainers of the people; we are called to be ministers of the gospel" (1999:137). Additionally, in Appendix 3, Owens includes a 19th century list of 24 questions to ask in preparation for the Lord's Supper. This book brims full of wisdom and insight. I highly recommend it.

Finally, some instruction on worship that is scripture based rather than based on style, performance, music, surveys, or popularity. For a generation that has lost sight of what scripture says concerning worship (and scripture has MUCH to say about worship), this book is a must read for ministers and layman alike, whether or not they are involved in worship leadership. Please read this book and be re-oriented to biblical worship.

I have read many books on worship over the past years and find Owen's work to be a breath of fresh air. Returning to biblical worship should be the goal of every Christian in a day where 'anything goes' in many churches. Read slowly, carefully and thoughfully and you will either be challenged to your core or affirmed in your understanding of coming before God on His terms as His people.This book should be in every pastor's study.