Grand Rapids: Zondervan Press, 2004.

Nancy Beach writes, “Every Sunday morning a minority of people in your town and mine prepare to go to church. Each man, woman and child has a story – a life that goes on from Monday through Saturday. Many of them rush to get to church on time. Some were on the fence all morning about whether they would really show up. So, for those who do arrive, who walk into a church and take a seat, what is at stake? How much does it really matter what takes place in the next hour.”

If you believe, as does Beach, that it does matter, then you will want to read this book. As Director of Programming and a teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church, Beach is focused on making sure that the “hour on Sunday” makes a difference in the lives of people through uniting arts and biblical teaching in order to make an impact on peoples’ lives.

This remarkable book will encourage you to think about your worship services in a new way. Beach draws on thirty years of experience to provide readers with a load of ideas and insights for developing powerful worship experiences. The great strength of the book is in helping pastors and worship leaders think through the importance of engaging the arts (and artists in your church) to build more engaging worship and teaching times. As Beach says, it is “time for artists in the church to reclaim their God-given gifts and devote themselves to excellence.” (The chapter on excellence is one every church leaders should be required to read.)

Then again, there are several chapters that church leaders should be required to read, such as the ones on creativity and authenticity. Oh, just read the whole book. It will make you rethink why we do what we do – and to consider fresh ways of doing what God has called us to do. Although Beach helps plan many Willow Creek services, you don’t have to use a Willow Creek model to benefit from the insights she shares.

As a pastor, you’ll see all the clever illustrations and quirky design and be tempted to hand this one over to the worship leader or youth pastor. Don’t do it; make them get their own copies, and you spend some time with this book, thinking about what your worship experience can be like.