If you’ve ever asked, “Why do we do what we do in worship?”—this book is for you.
Bryan Chappell’s Christ-Centered Worship helped me connect the dots between historic church liturgy and gospel-driven worship in a way that was both eye-opening and encouraging. It’s not a book about style—it’s a book about substance. About structure. About intentionally leading God’s people through the gospel each and every week.
What I appreciated most was how Chappell unpacks the biblical and theological rationale behind the classic flow of Christian worship: adoration, confession, assurance, thanksgiving, petition, instruction, charge, and blessing. Once you see it, you realize just how powerful it is to shape your service around the gospel—not just in the sermon, but from start to finish.
This book doesn’t tell you what songs to sing or which instruments to use. Instead, it helps you understand the why behind the what. It gives you language and clarity to think through your worship planning with theological intention, not just musical preference.
One quote that’s stuck with me:
“The gospel provides not only the message of our worship but also the structure of our worship.”
That reshaped how I plan services, how I think about transitions, and how I talk about worship with my team. Instead of focusing only on flow or feel, I began focusing more on form and formation—how the entire service tells the story of redemption.
If you’re a music minister, worship leader, or pastor who wants to move from reactive planning to intentional, Christ-exalting worship, Christ-Centered Worship is one of the best resources out there. It’s a deeper read, but it’s worth every page.
At Chief Musician Alliance, we believe gospel-shaped worship leads to gospel-shaped people. This book will help you build that kind of service week after week.
