Worship That Speaks To The Core Of Our Being

Through his 35-year ministry, Rev. Dr. Marple witnessed an increasing lack of interest and declining attendance at Christian worship. But he also was aware of the growing struggle of many persons to find meaning in worship, despite efforts to have the Christian message be relevant to contemporary times. While preparing a dissertation for his Doctor of Ministry degree, he observed that there is an increasing number who no longer choose to involve themselves in Christian worship within the established traditions. Yet, in more recent years, growing numbers have been turning to Eastern mysticism, the new age spirituality, and the occult in an attempt to find meaning. In his search for the answer to what makes worship meaningful for persons within the United Church of Canada, Rev. Dr. Marple complemented his extensive research of literature with interviews of six persons. The interviewees brought varied experiences of worship from rural and urban churches. Worship That Speaks to the Core of Our Being is a valuable resource for any clergy and worship teams seeking to increase worship attendance and improve the experience of worshippers in the 21st century.