7 Great Books Every Worship Leader Should Read

“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.” - Oscar Wilde

Reading is an indispensable life practice for anyone in any ministry.

No other habit helps us to learn as much as reading. It helps us to go beyond what we know, tap into the insights and knowledge of others, and broadens our thinking and perspective, apart from many other benefits.

Here's a list of some of my favorite reads (the book descriptions are excerpts from Amazon), which I believe are useful for worship leaders, in no particular order:

The Ragamuffin Gospel – Brennan Manning

"The world assigns value to people using measurable standards. Someone is a successful student if she receives As. Someone is a strong athlete if he runs five miles a day. The Lord, however, knows nothing of standards. The Ragamuffin Gospel was inspired by Brennan Manning after he discovered firsthand what it means to live by grace instead of performance. His words bring new life and sweet refreshment to Christians who are tired of never measuring up."

Godsongs – Paul Baloche, Jimmy & Carol Owens

"This instructional book by songwriters Paul Baloche and Jimmy & Carol Owens covers basic songwriting principles like how to develop a song after inspiration comes, 30 characteristics that make a song memorable, 16 shared qualities of great worship songs and 12 keys to unlock writer's block. You will also learn how to gain the listener's attention quickly, find fresh ways of expressing worship and choose just the right words. God Songs also contains advice on how to make your song its best before releasing it, how to get your songs heard and used by others, and ways to minister most effectively with your music."

To know you more – Andy Park

"Practical advice, experienced counsel and inspiring ideas on a variety of issues like

• songwriting
• pulling together a team
• staying humble
• planning the flow of worship
• what to do in times of dryness... and more

Above all, Park will help you discover what it means for you as a worship leader to be first and foremost a worshiper."

Confessions of St. Augustine – St Augustine

"Confessions is one of the most moving diaries ever recorded of a man's journey to the fountain of God's grace. Writing as a sinner, not a saint, Augustine shares his innermost thoughts and conversion experiences, and wrestles with the spiritual questions that have stirred the hearts of the thoughtful since time began. Starting with his childhood in Numidia, through his youth and early adulthood in Carthage, Rome, and Milan, readers will see Augustine as a human being, a fellow traveler on the road to salvation. Though staggering around potholes and roadblocks, all will find strength in Augustine's message: when the road gets rough, look to God!"

The Practice of the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence"BROTHER LAWRENCE of the Resurrection (c. 1614 – 12 February 1691) served as a lay brother in a Carmelite monastery in Paris. HE is remembered for the intimacy he expressed concerning his relationship to God as recorded in the classic Christian text, The Practice of the Presence of God."

Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God – Bob Kauflin"Bob Kauflin covers a variety of topics such as the devastating effects of worshiping the wrong things, how to base our worship on God's self-revelation rather than our assumptions, the fuel of worship, the community of worship, and the ways that eternity's worship should affect our earthly worship."

The Imitation of Christ – Thomas à Kempis

"The spiritual classic by à Kempis, the second most widely read spiritual book after the Bible, has had an astonishing impact on the spiritual lives of countless saints, peasants, and popes for centuries. Even today, the soul-searching words of the fifteenth-century cleric Thomas à Kempis continue to resonate, unbounded by time or geography. Drawing on the Bible, the Fathers of the early Church and medieval mysticism, his four-part treatise shrugs off the allure of the material world, blending beauty and bluntness in a supremely spiritual call-to-arms."

I know I haven't read enough, so I'd like to hear from you! What books have you read that have inspired you? Leave a comment below and let me know!