Sally Morgenthaler believes that the way we worship is directly connected to effective evangelism. In her book, Worship Evangelism: Inviting Unbelievers into the Presence of God, she argues that authentic, Christ-centered worship is not only the goal of the church, but one of the chief means God uses to lead unbelievers to saving faith.

The central paradigm of this book is that our worship of God either affirms or contradicts our message about God. Unbelievers (including those who are churched and unchurched) will draw lasting conclusions about the veracity and uniqueness of our God based on what they see or do not see happening in our weekly church services. (9)

Morgenthaler maintains that "[t]he answer to the how-tos is in the whys" (9). For this reason, the emphasis of the first half of the book is on the "why" of worship. The last half (and the weaker half, in my opinion) is on the "how-tos."

Morgenthaler is concerned that the contemporary church is overly impressed with size. "We should be less concerned about making churches full of people and more concerned about making people full of God" (17). George Barna agrees with her: "We are more impressed by a church of 4,000 people who have no clue about God's character and His expectations, than by a church of 100 deeply committed saints who are serving humankind in quiet but significant ways" (18). We must put things in their proper order and focus on the quality (rather than the quantity) of our worshipers. "You'll never get a quality ministry by focusing on quantity first." (18)

Our deepest longing and hunger should not be for exponential growth figures or impressive sanctuaries; our deepest hunger should be for God (36). People, including many of the unchurched, hunger for a sense of the transcendent, that is, for God. "Worship is not just for the spiritually mature. It is for the spiritually hungry, and in the last decade of the twentieth century, that includes more people than we realize" (84, italics hers).

Morgenthaler's warning is clear: we must not replace God with growth. She invites us to consider: "Or have we replaced God with growth? Are we doing what we are doing in our sanctuaries and worship centers so that, like Paul, we may 'know Christ,' or do we just want to draw bigger crowds?" (41)

Morgenthaler believes that true worship must be authentic. "[O]ur failure to impact contemporary culture is not because we have not been relevant enough, but because we have not been real enough" (30). This includes a willingness to admit our weaknesses and failures. "There are not very many acceptable places in our society for people to express inadequacy and need. To admit failure, sadness, grief, or hurt is to be a loser. And America does not reward losers; it rewards winners. But the heart of Jesus runs counter to this kind of superficiality" (112).

Worship, not evangelism, is the number-one function of the church. As another writer has put it, it is our ultimate priority. God seeks worshipers, not evangelists (John 4:23). "The true goal of evangelism is to produce more and better worshipers" (39).

Real worship is dynamic and interactive. In order for worship to be complete, it must involve our response to God. It should not simply be a "head game." It should include external expressions of adoration, confession, gratitude, and commitment. "[R]eal worship provides opportunities for God and God's people to express their love for each other... we carry on an exchange of love with the God who is present" (48). Worship leaders must reflect upon how they can help worshipers express themselves externally. Morgenthaler offers the question, "In what small way can we encourage people to externalize what they feel internally?" (118)

Morgenthaler believes that the time is ripe for a renewed emphasis on authentic Christian worship. The hunger for spirituality can truly be satisfied with the heart of Christianity. Church does not have to be superfluous to a person's relationship with God. Indeed, only the church can offer a spirituality that is more than "an individualized pursuit [having] to do with an inner state of being" (57). The corporate expression of spirituality in worship coupled with the revealed truth of Jesus make the church a good alternative for those hoping to take their spirituality further than individual fulfillment. "That is precisely why the church is in such a prime position to lead people to Jesus Christ in the 90s. No one is offering, or indeed can offer, the crucial balance of revealed truth and authentic spiritual experience." (69)

Whatever we do with worship, we must provide a reason for the unchurched to get out of bed. According to Barna, "only 8 percent of the unchurched skip church because they do not believe in God or Jesus Christ" (59). He continues: "The unchurched don't have a problem with God so much as they have a problem with God's religious franchises - the church" (59). According to Morgenthaler, there would be a newfound excitement for church if it truly was what it is supposed to be - a place to meet with, hear from, and respond to God.

I only have a few complaints with this book. Even though Morgenthaler works to keep from overemphasizing experience over reason, I think she falls short. It seems as if her ideal church service would be a constant "home-run" - a place where God's presence was so powerfully experienced that every service provided a profound opportunity for transformation.

Obviously, I would love to see this ideal realized (and certainly, one of the joys of heaven will be just this), but I do wonder if this allows for the possibility of "small wonders" and "run-of-the-mill" joys. In other words, must every encounter with God be dramatic, life-changing, and earth-shattering? I love my wife deeply and have a relationship with her, but I do not expect every day to be an overwhelmingly thrilling adventure. Indeed, part of the joy of our relationship is in sharing the small details of life together - the simple joys that make up the bulk of life.

The last half of the book presents orders of worship and insights on leading worship that are average, at best. Morgenthaler's worship orders are very similar to the norm in most churches with a few minor changes. It seems like worship needs a bigger overhaul than this to meet Morgenthaler's requirements for authentic, responsive, and dynamic worship.

Finally, as always, when I read books on worship I always wonder: Could it be that it is the loss of a formal liturgy has led to all the confusion that comprises the worship wars? Certainly, formal liturgies can be abused if they are done without heart, but our perpetual attempts to rethink and revise worship do not seem to be accomplishing much.