A Guide for Worship and Doctrine

While cleaning out a storage closet one afternoon at Immanuel Baptist Church, I ran across a single copy of a little booklet entitled “Worship Guide.” I blew the dust off of its deep blue cover and discovered that it was a glossary of terms written by Dr. Jim Jarrard during his tenure as Pastor at Immanuel. The glossary contained words that one often encounters in Christian worship services that may be unfamiliar to new believers or to those from different church traditions. Immediately I saw the benefit of producing a resource of this nature, and desired to reissue it in an expanded form. Through a mutual friend, I sought and received Dr. Jarrard's permission to proceed with the project.

Whereas Dr. Jarrard limited the original edition of this guide to terms of liturgy and worship, I sensed the need to expand it to encompass terms from Scripture, theology, and church history. I also thought it might be helpful to include brief introductions to key people in church history. Where space limitations necessitate abbreviated treatments of subjects, I will refer the reader to more thorough volumes on the subject. At the end of the expanded volume I will include a list of recommended books on a variety of subjects for those wishing to go further with their personal study.

In its original form, this volume was slim and compact, the perfect size to tuck into the back of your Bible for quick reference at church. I regret that the expansion of it will enlarge it to a rather inconvenient size, but I trust that the benefit of the added information outweighs that deficiency.

I intend to post the work here first, both for "immediate gratification" and for constructive feedback. I will post one letter of the alphabet at a time as I complete them. I invite you to peruse these sections and help shape the finished product. Where I have included terms that you think should be omitted, or have overlooked terms you think should be included, let me know. Where I have been too vague or too thorough, or where the definitions supplied are difficult to grasp, I would appreciate feedback also. Posts will be labeled "A Guide for Worship and Doctrine: " followed by the letter treated. For example the first post will be called, "A Guide for Worship and Doctrine: A." Expect it soon. No promises on the timeframe for future posts.

My hope for the finished product is that it will find its place near your Bible where it will be a ready reference for you in your devotional study and personal reading of the Bible and other works of Christian literature. I would hope that if you run across a word in your reading, or perhaps in a worship service at church, that you would be able to find a brief but helpful explanation of the term in the guide.