Worship as Pastoral Care

Worship as Pastoral Care by William H. Willimon
William H. Willimon investigates how worship is and should be the primary means of pastoral care. He strongly advocates the use of the liturgical rites found in the western liturgical tradition as a means of curing souls and creating community. He laments the down play of worship and liturgical ceremonies in the church today.
The book was first written in 1979, the ninth printing was in 1990 and that is the print I have. It seems, sadly, that the book is in just as much need today as when it was written.
He attributes much of the down play of liturgy to an identity crisis among pastors. This identity crises he maintains is due to an overemphasis on the Priesthood of All Believers, and therefore a deemphasis on Pastor as Priest, or one who conducts priestly rites. Don’t worry; he doesn’t advocate the “sacrifice of the Mass.” But I think he hits on something vital there. Pastors are increasingly pressured to play the clown on Sunday morning, and then do their “real” work Monday through Friday as a cheap ill trained counselor.
William Williomon see the need for a pastor to be a priest as distinct from the Priesthood of All Believers. He sees worship as the primary place for bringing community together and healing souls and broken relationships through the ceremonial proclamation of the gospel in a corporate manner. As such it is the most important form of spiritual care, and pastors should be aware of the roles as leaders in worship. If they can’t lead well and effectively in worship, than where can they lead? This isn’t time to be informal, and casual, or to be timid. Worship should be carried out in a confident reverence, realizing that when you lead in worship, you are leading the community of God’s people, and it is here that you are doing more to form the community, to disciple, to teach, to bring people up in the lord to form them as Christians than anything else you will do all week. No Bible study will have a more formative effect, no one on one counseling session will do more to heal souls, or calm a conscience than what you do in worship corporately.
I highly recommend this book for all pastors, and even laymen and women who hold leadership roles in their congregations.