The Creative Worship Leader’s Toolbox – eBooks.

The Creative Worship Leader’s Toolbox
Tools, Tips, and Ideas for Engaging Services

By Philip C. Garside 

Transform your worship services with creative, Spirit-led tools that inspire participation, deepen meaning, and reflect your unique voice as a leader.

• Lead worship with greater creativity, confidence, and authenticity
• Design engaging and inclusive services that flow beautifully
• Craft prayers, liturgies, and sermons tailored to your community
• Incorporate music, physical objects, and symbolic actions effectively
• Discover and develop your unique blend of leadership skills
• Use AI tools to support sermon and liturgy preparation
• Cultivate your presence and storytelling to engage all ages

Features

• Step-by-step guidance for structuring a 60-minute worship service
• Innovative children’s talks and interactive liturgical ideas
• Templates and tips for prayers, music selection, and sermon writing
• Inclusive language and multicultural elements (including waiata)
• Techniques for effective order-of-service design and visual presence

You are buying a zipped file (9.5mb) containing eBook editions of this book in PDF, ePub and Mobi formats.

200pp 6”x 9”
ISBNs
PDF: 9781991027955 
ePub/Mobi: 9781991027962
Philip Garside Publishing Ltd (2025)

Click for Print Book

Description

Whether you’re a seasoned worship leader or stepping into the role for the first time, this rich, encouraging guide will expand your vision and skills.

Blending the spiritual with the practical, it shows how worship leadership is both an art and a craft – requiring imagination, preparation, and a deep connection to the Spirit.

Inside, you’ll discover practical frameworks for crafting every element of a service: from opening prayers and selecting music, to leading children’s talks and writing inspiring sermons.

You'll learn how to balance tradition with innovation and personalise your leadership to reflect your own gifts.

The book provides inclusive, multicultural tools like Māori waiata, visual metaphors, and participatory rituals to enhance congregational engagement.

You'll also explore how to effectively use AI tools like ChatGPT for sermon generation, prayer writing, and image creation – while staying rooted in authenticity and theology.

With creative prompts, real-life examples, and thoughtful reflections, this toolbox empowers worship leaders to plan and lead services that are spiritually nourishing, culturally relevant, and filled with moments of wonder.

It's more than a manual – it's a call to courageous, prayerful, and joyful creativity in worship.

 

Video and Audio Summaries of the book

Click for a podcast interview that discusses the book's contents

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Click for a short video summary of the book

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Praise for The Creative Worship Leader’s Toolbox

“Creative ... and practical!

Philip C. Garside’s The Creative Worship Leader’s Toolbox provides an abundance of new and easily accessible ideas written with clarity for use in a wide range of local churches serving a variety of protestant denominations, large or small, rural or urban.

For each suggestion, he presents scriptural grounding, multiple ways to use the practice, and often describes his own experiences.

Also included is an introduction to worship structure for new lay preachers which doesn’t ‘dumb down’ but ‘clears up’ questions, and he is never hesitant to share his own mistakes, leading to rich insights.

This invitational sharing sets the book apart from other worship resources. Philip and his church are present on every page.”

Maren C. Tirabassi, an ordained pastor who has served for 45 years in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, and is the co-author of From the Psalms to the Cloud, Before the Amen, A Child Laughs, Gifts in Open Hands and the Rev & Rye Mysteries series.

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“This book is a delight to read. Philip’s conversational style makes it feel as though you’re sharing a cuppa with him, rather than simply turning pages. The only challenge was resisting the urge to ask him questions along the way!

The clear, step-by-step processes outlined in the opening chapters on ‘How to’ topics are easy to follow and incredibly practical.

The book made me rethink some of what I have tried in the past and discarded as I felt uncomfortable and challenged me to try again.

What particularly resonated with me was a sentence on page 33: ‘Leading worship isn’t about filling time with words – it’s about crafting a sacred experience that draws people into genuine connection with God and one another.’ Philip not only writes this truth – he lives it, and this book reflects that beautifully.”

Rachael Masterton, Locally Ordained Minister, Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand.

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“Awesome, comprehensive, and informative. Philip’s writing style spoke to me as both an individual and an equal.

The knowledgeable encouragement I've found here enabled me to pause, explore, and affirm the many skills already present in my toolbox, acquire further skills, all the while discerning and using them to further the works of God's kingdom.

This will be a very useful and handy reference for new and seasoned Worship Leaders alike.”

Margaret Bishop – NZLPA Lay Preacher and CANZ Funeral Celebrant

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“This book is a real gift for those of us preparing worship.

It is a one-stop shop resource that supports the whole service – prayers, children’s talk, and more. Everything included has value: what one person may not use, another will treasure.

I really appreciate what you have done, and are doing, to help Lay people like me (and others) think about and prepare complete, meaningful, spirit driven services.”

Sandra Robb, Lay Preacher

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About the Author

Philip C. Garside is an Aotearoa New Zealand Methodist lay preacher, worship leader, publisher, writer, and singer/musician.

With 18 years’ experience leading creative services, he brings a special blend of theological depth, pastoral sensitivity, and liturgical imagination to his work. He is passionate about helping others develop their worship leadership through practical tools, spiritual insights, and inclusive, community-building practices.

Through Philip Garside Books he equips worship leaders with tools to inspire thoughtful, inclusive, and engaging worship grounded in the life of the Spirit and the call to social justice.

 

Contents

Preface

Accessing links to websites and other digital resources referred to in this book

Introduction

Skills and Techniques

Introduction to Skills and Techniques

Foundational Skills

1 – What’s in Your Toolbox? Part 1 – Identify your skills

2 – What’s in Your Toolbox? Part 2 – Learning New Skills

3 – What’s in Your Toolbox? Part 3 – Putting it all together

4 – Constructing a Service 1 – The Elements of a Service

5 – Constructing a Service 2 – Choosing Hymns, Songs & Waiata

6 – Constructing a Service 3 – Finding or Writing Prayers and Liturgy

7 – Constructing a Service 4 – Writing Your Sermon

8 – Constructing a Service 5 – Introducing the Theme / Children’s Talk

9 – Constructing a Service 6 – Design & Typeset the Order of Service

10 – Constructing a Service 7 – Two sample services led by Philip

Advanced Techniques

11 – Creating an Image to use in Worship with ChatGPT AI

12 – Using ChatGPT AI to Craft Prayers and Liturgy

13 – Using AI to Help Write a Sermon

14 – Revelations About Your Preaching from Notebook LM

15 – Creative Visualisation – Imagining your movements during a service

 

Ideas for Worship

Introduction to Ideas for Worship

Using Physical Objects

16 – Creating a Natural Treasures Collage

17 – Visualising the Church Year

18 – Worship as Weaving – Threads of Word, Music and Movement

19 – The Empty Chair – Praying for the Absent

20 – Make flax crosses during your Palm-Passion Sunday service

21 – Hexagons Mosaic – Many Pieces, One Picture

22 – Creative Ways to Mark the Church Seasons with Visual Symbols

23 – Folding Faith – Worship with Origami

24 – The Sound of Stones – Rhythm and Storytelling in Worship

25 – What’s in Your Pocket? – Everyday Faith Objects

26 – Footprints of Faith – Discerning God’s direction in our lives

Music and Songs

27 – Kindle a Flame – One song, many uses

28 – Loving God of Aotearoa – A Hymn for Unity, Service and Creation

29 – Singing Waiata in English-Language Services

30 – Three Easy Sung Responses to Enrich Your Worship

Railways

31 – Railways as metaphors 1 – People Get Ready

32 – Railways as metaphors 2 – Layers of meaning

33 – Railways as metaphors 3 – This Ol’ Freedom Train

34 – Railways as metaphors 4 – Displaying a model railway

General Ideas

35 – Building the Service Together

36 – Finding the Divine in the Everyday – God is in the Small Things

37 – Rewriting a Parable in Modern Form Together

38 – Winter Garden, Compost and Resurrection

39 – Circle the Story – Movement-Based Worship for All Ages

40 – Following your heart… Let it be

41 – Two Christmas Offerings

44 – Re-imagining the Lord’s Prayer

 

Prayers, Liturgy & Children’s Talks

Introduction to Prayers, Liturgy & Children’s Talks

45 – Calls to Worship

46 – Lighting the Candle

47 – Opening Prayers

48 – Prayers of Approach & Words of Assurance

49 – Prayers of Intercession

50 – Offering and Blessing of Offering

51 – Benediction / Sending Forth

52 – Children’s Talk & Introducing the Theme Suggestions

 

Links to Websites and Resources

Worship Resources and Books by Philip Garside