Review of The Creative Worship Leader’s Toolbox – Touchstone Feb 2026
Book Review:
The Creative Worship Leader’s Toolbox
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Review by John Carr, Western Bay of Plenty Methodist Parish
in Touchstone – February 2026
Philip Garside’s The Creative Worship Leader’s Toolbox is exactly what our churches need right now. It is an invitation to rediscover imagination in worship without losing our theological grounding or sense of reverence.
At a time when many congregations feel stretched thin - I know my parish feels this way at times, with worship planning falling on the same faithful few - this resource offers inspiration and practical help. The content offer ways to rekindle joy and creativity in the act of leading God’s people in praise.
A book built for practice, not theory
Garside’s new work is not a treatise on liturgical theory, nor a dense manual that must be read cover to cover. He shares relatable stories that help keep you engaged. As the title suggests, it is a toolbox: something to reach into whenever you need a fresh idea, a new way to engage the congregation, or a prompt to reflect on your own practice. Each “tool” stands on its own, a reflection, an activity, or a worship idea, which makes the book immensely usable for busy lay preachers and ministers alike.
The book is divided into three large sections. The first explores skills and techniques for worship leadership, including planning, collaboration, and creative thinking. The second offers ideas for worship, a collection of visual symbols, movement suggestions, and object lessons. The third gathers sample liturgies, prayers, and children’s talks that can be adapted for local use. It is a structure that works: the reader moves from the “why” and “how” of creative leadership to the “what” of practical examples.
Grounded in an Aotearoa context
One of the immediate strengths of the Toolbox is how unmistakably it comes from Aotearoa New Zealand. Garside writes from within the life of the church here, aware of the rhythms of our seasons, the multicultural character of our congregations, and the particular blend of tradition and innovation that marks our worship life. Māori words and concepts appear naturally, not as ornament but as part of the fabric of faith. Prayers in te reo Māori, acknowledgements of whenua (land) and whakapapa (heritage), and illustrations drawn from local landscapes remind us that creativity begins with context.
This localisation matters. Too often, resources for worship leaders are imported from other contexts. The church seasons reflect the northern hemisphere, with so many resources coming from American megachurches or British cathedrals, and then requiring translation to fit our settings. Garside’s book, by contrast, feels immediately usable in a Methodist parish in Tauranga or a small Presbyterian chapel in Southland. It honours our bicultural journey and models what it means to create liturgy that is both rooted and open.
The most endearing quality of the book is its tone. Garside writes as a companion and encourager, not a lecturer. He shares his experiences and experiments, noting where things didn’t quite work as planned, and always inviting the reader to adapt ideas to their own context. The prose is friendly and conversational, making it easy to dip in and out of chapters without losing the thread. It is simply an engaging read.
Each section includes small exercises, questions for reflection, short planning prompts, or suggestions to try something new next Sunday. This format embodies a theology of participation: worship is not the work of one professional but the shared offering of a whole people. Garside’s Toolbox helps leaders cultivate that participatory spirit, reminding us that creativity in worship is not about performance but about opening space for encounter.
Practical creativity: ideas that work
The middle section, “Ideas for Worship,” is the richest seam. Here, Garside offers a wealth of simple, tangible ideas, using stones as symbols of prayer, incorporating natural materials into visual displays, and inviting people to move, touch, and listen in new ways. These are not gimmicks but thoughtful gestures that engage body and spirit alike. They reflect a conviction that God’s Word is not only to be heard but also seen, felt, and experienced.
For those who lead children’s times or intergenerational worship, this section alone is worth the price of the book. The ideas are adaptable for different ages and settings, equally at home in a Sunday school, a nursing home chapel, or an outdoor service under a pōhutukawa tree. Each idea carries the seeds of reflection and wonder.
Technology and the worship imagination
Where Garside truly breaks new ground is in his exploration of how digital tools, including artificial intelligence, can serve creative worship. He acknowledges the hesitations many church leaders feel about technology but suggests that tools like ChatGPT or Google’s Notebook LM can help generate ideas, brainstorm liturgies, or find new language for prayer. Importantly, he stresses discernment; AI is a starting point, not an endpoint. The worship leader’s task is still to filter, adapt, and ensure that what is offered remains authentic, theologically sound, and pastorally sensitive.
In a Methodist context, this approach aligns well with our understanding of reason as one of the quadrilateral sources of theological reflection. Just as Wesley encouraged the use of all available means for understanding and sharing the gospel, so too can technology become a modern means of grace when used wisely. Garside’s willingness to engage this conversation puts the Toolbox firmly in the twenty-first century.
Breadth and limitations
Because the Toolbox covers so much ground, not every section goes into great depth. A reader looking for an extended theology of liturgical symbolism or an in-depth guide to homiletics will need to supplement this book with other resources.
But breadth is its design: this is a field guide for worship leaders, not a dissertation.
The concise format makes it approachable, and the wide range of topics ensures that every reader will find something useful.
Some of the examples may feel ambitious for smaller or more traditional congregations, where change comes slowly. Yet even there, Garside provides gentle encouragement: try one new idea, reflect on how it goes, and learn from the experience. His advice is pastoral and realistic, recognising that creativity must grow at the pace of community trust.
Theological heart
Beneath the practical suggestions runs a steady theological current. Creativity, for Garside, is not about novelty for its own sake but about embodying the living presence of God. When we engage our senses and imaginations in worship, we are reflecting the image of the Creator who made us to create. The book quietly echoes the wisdom of Exodus 35, where artisans and musicians are “filled with the Spirit of God, with skill, intelligence, knowledge, and all kinds of craftsmanship.” Worship, in this vision, is the cooperative work of the Spirit and the community.
There is also an undercurrent of hope that worship can be a place of healing, joy, and reconnection in a fragmented world. The prayers and reflections that close the book are not flashy productions but simple, heartfelt words that invite us to slow down and be present to God. They remind us that even in an age of digital overload, creativity can draw us closer to the sacred.
A resource for formation
Beyond Sunday worship, The Creative Worship Leader’s Toolbox could serve as a valuable resource for Lay Preachers’ meetings, Synod workshops, or continuing education gatherings. Each chapter could spark discussion about what creative, participatory worship looks like in our context. It encourages collaboration between ministers, musicians, and lay leaders, something at the heart of Methodist ecclesiology. I can imagine using sections of it as reflective exercises to help support the Lay Preachers in my parish.
Final reflections
At its best, worship holds together memory and imagination, honouring tradition while opening space for new expressions of faith. Toolbox sits precisely in that tension. It never suggests throwing away the old hymns or the lectionary; rather, it asks how we might sing, pray, and proclaim them in ways that awaken attention and wonder.
In my own ministry, I have found that creativity often emerges not from abundance but from constraint, a small congregation, a bare church hall, a tight budget. What Garside reminds us is that creativity is not about resources but about responsiveness. The Spirit is always doing a new thing; our task is to notice and participate.
For ministers and lay leaders seeking renewal, this book will be a faithful companion. For congregations wanting to engage all ages and senses in worship, it provides practical entry points. And for those wary of “creativity” as a buzzword, it offers reassurance that imaginative worship can still be deeply reverent and Christ-centred.
Philip Garside has given the church a gift: a generous, wise, and thoroughly usable resource that celebrates the joy of worship and the creativity of God’s people.
The Creative Worship Leader’s Toolbox deserves a place not only on our bookshelves but on our desks, in our vestries, and in the hands of anyone who believes worship can still surprise us with grace.
See the published review online at Touchstone here: https://hail.to/methodist-church-of-new-zealand/publication/wfKUdIA/article/OVQJIu0