Book Review: Emerging Worship by Dan Kimball

Emerging Worship - Dan Kimball

One of the things we do each week at Staff Meeting is read a chapter or two of a book and talk about it as a Staff. The book we have just completed was this book. This is a book that discusses worship for postmoderns ... or POMO's. I am sure they love that designation.

I am challenged and disturbed by this book all at the same time. This book talks about styles of worship that almost make no sense to me ... but at the same time ... I realize that not everybody is like me. (And all God's People said .... Amen)

I think this book sheds light on worship styles that are emerging in churches that are striving to reach the postmodern population around them. The styles of worship described in this book seem very "touch feely" to me ... but that doesn't mean they are invalid ... they just don't float my boat.

At one point early in the book Kimball writes, "I understand that for some people, this type of rethinking is extremely difficult. Anyone used to doing ministry - and thinking of church and worship services - in a modern way will find it hard to grasp new ways to engage the postmodern culture." pg 16. In the margin, I wrote a big, "That's Me!" Still - much of what Kimball wrote looked like small group study than that of a large worship setting.

This book made me feel old and out of touch at time. It was much like reading a missionary's book to a foreign land. At the same time, it was a challenge to me - for I realize that there are some with this mindset that attend Bayshore now. Please understand - the Bay Area we live in is not - I repeat - NOT - a hot bed of postmodern thinking. (smile) But I still should strive to understand the thinking and reasoning behind this movement. It is difficult - for I am very modern - logical in my reasoning and thinking.

What has been helpful in this book is that it forces me (and the staff) to wrestle with some of the questions that Kimball raises about worship. Also it does a fairly good job of contrasting post modern thinking about church with more modern or traditional view.

There are times though that he comes off as condescending when comparing the two. There were moments when reading the book that I thought he felt he found "it" and if you didn't find "it" you weren't going to be able to reach anybody for the next 30 years. That may be more of an indicator about me than it was about his writing.

Again - much of what he describes as worship does not appeal to me ... but that does not mean that I cannot learn from it. I did learn things from this book. It challenged me to rethink some of the news ways people are striving to "connect" with God.

I think it would be wise for anyone in vocational ministry to read this book.