Books

Worship Together in Your Church As in Heaven

Written by Josh Davis and Nikki Lerner, this book is a practical and foundational resource for pastors and worship leaders of all denominations. It addresses an urgent need in the church today: as our communities become increasingly diverse, how can we offer worship that is authentic and engaging for all of God’s people, including longtime church members?

The authors offer an empathetic, step-by-step approach, providing readers with knowledge, skills, and strategies to successfully introduce inclusive, multicultural worship in any setting. Davis and Lerner are expert practitioners and pioneers who invite us to break new ground with them, making worship that more closely reflects God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.


Gladly Uncomfortable Worship
(a community practicing friendship and hospitality)

Gladly Uncomfortable Worship is a collection of essays and stories of a diverse worshipping community located in “the most diverse square mile in the U.S.” Jaewoo Kim shares his journey of transitioning from a mono-cultural to a multicultural context, following the call of cultivating a Jesus centered, multicultural worshipping community. This book is about loving the strangers, creating safe spaces for diverse cultural expressions, and building friendship that leads to mutual transformation in the community. 

[Note: this book is available in Korean only]


Top 10 Multicultural Worship Books

Looking for a place to start reading? Here are ten of the books we recommend (in no particular order) for multicultural worshiping communities…

1. Community Arts for God’s Purposes: How to Create Local Artistry Together (Brian Schrag, Julisa Rowe) 

2. A Multitude of All Peoples: Engaging Ancient Christianity’s Global Identity (Vince L. Bantu)

3. Worship Together in Your Church as in Heaven (Josh Davis, Nikki Lerner) 

4. Beyond Colorblind (Sarah Shin)

5. Foreign To Familiar (Sarah A. Lanier)

6. Creating Local Arts Together (Brian Schrag)

7. The Next Worship (Sandra Maria Van Opstal) 

8. Making Room (Christine D. Pohl) 

9. Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate (Matthew Soerens, Jenny Yang)

10. Culture Making (Andy Crouch)