Life Pacific University joyfully celebrates one of its most significant academic accomplishments in recent years: the publication of Dr. Steven Félix-Jäger’s groundbreaking new textbook, How to Worship for All Its Worth, with Zondervan Academic. This partnership with one of the world’s premier academic publishers marks a major milestone not only for Dr. Félix-Jäger, but for the entire LPU community.
As chair of Worship and Media, associate professor, and director of academic research, Dr. Félix-Jäger has long been an influential voice in the study and practice of Christian worship. With this new volume—already generating enthusiasm and praise—he offers a resource of remarkable depth, interdisciplinary rigor, and pastoral warmth. It stands poised to become a defining text for worship leaders in the years ahead.
A Major Academic Contribution to Worship Studies
How to Worship for All Its Worth draws together methods from biblical studies, practical theology, aesthetics, cultural hermeneutics, and ethnography, forming a uniquely comprehensive lens for understanding Christian worship. Dr. Félix-Jäger invites worship leaders to explore and appreciate the richness of the global Church by examining the many authentic Christian expressions of congregational worship music found across diverse traditions.
Because each worship tradition carries its own standards of judgment and narrative frameworks, the book explores biblical, aesthetic, theological, and pastoral forms of discernment—equipping leaders to assess worship expressions with nuance, humility, and contextually informed wisdom.
Through vivid ethnographical case studies, readers are immersed in contemporary worship practices from Evangelical, Reformed, Pentecostal, Black Gospel, and Charismatic Catholic churches across the United States. Notably, chapter 7 includes an assessment of Pentecostal worship practices at Life Church in Lancaster, CA, pastored by LPU’s own Dr. Tim Lee, chair of Bible and Ministry—an exciting intersection of scholarship and community.
A Vision for Unity, Understanding, and Reconciliation
At its core, this book pulses with a pastoral and prophetic heart: the conviction that deep understanding between worshiping communities leads to empathy, unity, and reconciliation. Dr. Félix-Jäger beautifully articulates the transformative vision behind his work:
“I believe worship has the ability to break down walls of enmity we like to build around us. The Spirit does something special in worship. My ultimate hope for this book is not just to educate folks on the key points for planning and leading worship well, but also to help Christians reconcile with God and each other so we can better carry on Christ’s mission for us in the world.” says the author, Dr. Steven Félix-Jäger.
By exploring worship not as a battleground but as a meeting place of the Spirit, the book imagines a future where walls of prejudice and exclusion are torn down, where congregations flourish within their own traditions while building unity across others. Its greatest potential impact lies in shaping worship leaders—present and future—to cultivate healthier congregational life and greater cross-tradition understanding.
About the Author
Dr. Steven Félix-Jäger (PhD, MFA) is an associate professor at Life Pacific University, chair of the Department of Worship and Media, and the Director of Academic Research. A visual artist, songwriter, music producer, and theologian, he is the author of numerous works, including The Problem and Promise of Freedom, Renewal Worship, Spirit of the Arts, Art Theory for a Global Pluralistic Age, and Renewing Christian Worldview (co-authored).
He serves as worship pastor at Pasadena Foursquare Church, is licensed to minister with Foursquare, co-hosts the TikTok Theology podcast, and is an associate editor for Pneuma and editor for Quadrum. Dr. Félix-Jäger lives in Pomona, CA with his wife Connie and daughter Mila.
Order Today
How to Worship for All Its Worth promises to become an essential resource for worship ministries, academic programs, and church leaders seeking to engage worship with theological depth, artistic integrity, and reconciling love.
Pre-order your copy now and consider adopting it for your worship ministry:
Amazon – How to Worship for All Its Worth
Life Pacific University celebrates Dr. Félix-Jäger’s incredible achievement and the profound contribution this book will make to the Church, the academy, and worshiping communities everywhere.
