Global Worship Bibliography

Halle, Halle: We Sing the World Round by C. Michael Hawn, Professor of Sacred Music and Worship, Perkins School of Theology, is a wonderful collection of global songs. The teacher’s edition includes excellent material including theological reflections, cultural context, performance practices, and worship suggestions for each song. A singer’s edition with just the music and a CD are available with many of the songs recorded by indigenous choirs. You can order at: www.choristersguild.org or call their distributor at (800) 444-1144.

Gather into One by C. Michael Hawn. One of the benefits of the multicultural nature of Christianity has been the introduction of the Western church to worship music from around the world. However, while many of these songs are now available in Western hymnal collections, little has been written to help church musicians and ministers understand, appreciate, and use these songs in worship. Gather into One fills this void with the exploration of the work of five of the most influential global church musicians found in North American hymnals. www.eerdmans.com or 800-253-7521, $28.

Gifts of Many Cultures: Worship Resources for the Global Community, edited by Maren C. Tirabassi and Kathy Wonson Eddy, offers a broad range of liturgy, stories, poems, practices, art and ritual suggestions from around the world. Contents are arranged by themes, seasons, and sacraments. A nice feature of this resource is that permission is granted to use all of the materials, including the black and white art, for worship. Orders can be placed at www.ucpress.com or by calling (800) 537-3394.

Sing! A New Creation, is a new hymnal co-published by the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship, the Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church of America and edited by Emily R. Brink. One of the unique features of this collection is that a full third of the songs are global and/or multi-cultural depending upon how one defines these terms. Reviewing this hymnal as someone who has seen a wide range of formatting and arranging of global music, I am very impressed at the thorough, thoughtful and accessible way in which the music is presented. Sing! A New Creation can be ordered www.faithaliveresources.org or by calling (800) 333-8300. The web site offers sound files for the songs and a new leader’s edition with full arrangements, background notes, tips, etc is also available.

For Asian and Asian-American hymns which are often difficult to find, I highly recommend two resources:
   1) Hymns from the Four Winds: A Collection of Asian American Hymns , edited by I-to Loh (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1983) – (800) 251-3320 or www.abingdonpress.com
   2) Sound the Bamboo: CCA Hymnal 2000 (Manila: Asia Institute for Liturgy and Music, 2000) Call 1-800-THE-HYMN to obtain.

Worshipping Ecumenically: Orders of Service from Global Meetings with Suggestions for Local Use, edited by Per Harling is a good collection of worship services from ecumenical meetings. Lots of good liturgy and music. (1995) ISBN 2-8254-1141-8. Order from WCC, (800) 523-8211

Prayers Encircling the World: An International Anthology, contains over 300 prayers and is published by Westminster John Knox Press. It is available by linking to their web site through the pcusa.org site or by calling (800) 227-2872.

Preaching to Every Pew: Cross-Cultural Strategies James R. Nieman, Thomas G. Rogers, Authors. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001. Professors of homiletics James Nieman and Thomas Rogers weave the voices of preachers with insights from psychology, sociology, and historical analysis to present a practical theology for preaching in multicultural contexts.

Culturally-Conscious Worship, by Kathy Black (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2000) A guidebook for those who are interested in or practicing worship which involves more than one culture; good suggestions on sensitivity and working together – www.chalicepress.com or call (800) 366-3383

Worship Across Cultures: A Handbook, by Kathy Black (Nashville: Abingdon, 1998) An encyclopedia of traditions and practices in worship, both Sunday and pastoral rites, in cultures around the world (800) 251-3320 or www.abingdonpress.com

African American Christian Worship. by Melva Wilson Costen (Nashville: Abingdon, 1993).
A historic and contemporary study of many aspects of African American worship. (800) 251-3320 or www.abingdonpress.com

¡Alabadle! Hispanic Christian Worship, Edited by Justo Gonzalez (Nashville: Abingdon, 1996) (800) 251-3320 or www.abingdonpress.com

Trouble at the Table: Gathering the Tribes for Worship by Carol Doran and Thomas H. Troeger. Identifies sources of conflicts in worship, provides creative approaches to resolving these conflicts, and examines five road maps for revitalized worship. Too often we evaluate worship as a matter of taste without examining the presuppositions that inform worship in a given congregation. The authors help church leaders see that worship is a public event, which must be continually renewed and revitalized. (Nashville: Abingdon, 1992) (800) 251-3320 or www.abingdonpress.com

Making Room at the Table: An Invitation to Multicultural Worship, Brian K. Blount, Leonora Tubbs Tisdale, Editors. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001. This collection of 12 essays from professors at Princeton Theological Seminary explores how to make worship more inclusive of youth, ethnic minorities, and other persons who are frequently marginalized.