This book is a tool to assist pastors and worship leaders to plan engaging worship services. There is more coverage of planning the annual preaching calendar than there is in specific worship matters but a great resource for the teams who plan your services.
This is certainly not the only resource available on this subject matter but it is one that I will highly recommend. I have read several of Nelson’s works on “Systems” in the church and they are all very good. They are practical and they are easy reads. If I have one criticism it would be that his books are full of advertisements for his other books and resources. However, some of his resources are free.
Allow me just a little bit of a rant here: Sometimes we feel that we have nothing more to learn in life. I spent 7 years in school obtaining an undergrad degree and then a Masters. Sometimes we feel like we have paid our dues and the rest of our lives are to be spent reveling in what we paid so much to learn. Let me be the first to tell you that we can never quit learning. Nelson is the picture of one who never stops learning and he has gone much further in helping others to be better also. Thank you Nelson Searcy for your care and concern for others to be better.
“What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence.” Samuel Johnson
The main concept in the book is that we are in the business with God of creating places, experiences, moments in time where people meet with God and then meet God. In order to do our best at this we must put in the time and work to make things the best they can be. The Holy Spirit works through us and we work best when we don’t fly by the seat of our pants. I will be the first to admit that I have done this and I would like to be able to blame that on the fact that I am busy and do not have the time to plan my preaching calendar a year in advance. The fact is, if we take the time to plan there will be less busyness and less last-minute nervousness due to the fact of not having things thought out well in advance.
The nuts and bolts are here to plan your preaching calendar for the next year. The resources are also available on Nelson’s website to help you plan.
One of the greatest things I take from this book is the challenge to be the absolute best that God has called me to be. Not Billy Graham but the best of Ronnie G Collins.
Ronnie