Spiritual formation is the key to the survival of our faith.

There is an urgent need today for church services that are substantive and purposeful. Stigmatized by scandal, the church in North America and throughout Europe has been branded as useless and irrelevant. To stem the tide of nominal Christianity, we need to get serious about making disciples who can make other disciples.

Rory Noland is a worship leader who has led in contexts ranging from megachurches tosmall retreat settings such as the Transforming Center with Ruth Haley Barton. Combining discipleship and worship—what Noland calls transforming worship—he offers a vision for worship as spiritual formation. We need to reclaim our worship services as a formative space, and through that we will become the light of Christ in a dark world.



Rory Noland is the director of Heart of the Artist Ministries. He holds a doctorate in worship studies from the Robert E. Webber Institute. Rory has served at Willow Creek Community Church and Harvest Bible Chapel. A published songwriter, he has authored five books, including The Heart of the Artist.







Ruth Haley Barton (DD, Northern Seminary) is founder of the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of pastors, leaders, and the communities they serve. Trained at the Shalem Institute and the Loyola University Chicago Institute of Pastoral Studies, she is a seasoned spiritual director, teacher, and retreat leader who has served on the pastoral staff of several churches. Ruth is the author of numerous books on the spiritual life, including Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Invitation to Solitude and Silence, Sacred Rhythms, and Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest.



Foreword by Ruth Haley Barton

Introduction: What Is Transforming Worship?



Part 1: Biblical, Historical, and Theological Foundations of Transforming Worship

1. It All Started at Sinai

2. Updating the Ancient Formula for Sunday Services

3. How to Edify Believers and Evangelize Unbelievers

4. Reclaiming Sunday Morning as the Church's Primary, Formative Event

5. Recovering a Sense of the Sacred in Modern Worship



Part 2: Distinctive Elements of Transforming Worship

6. Let Us Pray!

7. Engaging the Preached and Unpreached Word of God

8. Corporate Confession: The Gift of an Unfettered Conscience

9. Lord's Supper as Spiritual Nourishment

10. Living in Your Baptism



Epilogue: We Get To Do This!

Appendix 1: Responsive Scripture Reading

Appendix 2: Reader's Theater Scripture Reading

Appendix 3: Corporate Prayer of Confession

Appendix 4: Checklist for Transforming Worship

Notes