A Note From The Director...

It truly is a privilege to inform you about the years of study, growth and community that lay ahead for those considering attending our Institute Of Contemporary & Emerging Worship Studies Master Of Ministry Program 2007. It is our belief that the quality of enrichment education for worship leaders embodied in this Master'’s degree is both unique and vital in both the culture and Church world of today - especially for the creative transformation of our generation.

The Institute Master Of Ministry Degree (M.Min.) in Worship Studies & Spiritual Formation is unique in that it seeks to engage the contemporary worship leader on a reflective journey into the living present and emerging future - via the road of the
ancient past. Combining an academic environment optimized for the creative leader'’s learning style, along with a program that is built for, around and by a contemporary worship leader, this program teams up insightful theological voices with media and live teaching from today's most important worship influencers.

We have primarily designed our course work for those worship leaders most similar in ethos to such worship movements/streams such as the Vineyard, Passion and Soul Survivor. Our teachers and media include input from these streams and others, and include media content from many of today's keep worship influencers - specifically contributed for the Institute, friends such as N.T. Wright, Matt Redman, Brian Doerksen and more have contributed video training. When Jesus and the apostle Paul stand alongside of Irenaeus and St. Francis, who stand alongside of Boenhoeffer and Herbert, who stand alongside Lewis and Oden, who stand alongside contemporary communicators like these, we believe something will happen that will form the next centuries of worship leadership.

The Institute Master'’s program has a singular goal in mind -– that this phase of your personal and spiritual leadership development, as a worship leader, will be one of living transformation, not simply a gathering of information. As the butterfly
bursts from the chrysalis following a time of being hidden and formed within a womb of its own making, so too we believe that your choice to join in the experience of this MasterÂ’s will become a landmark season, a watershed encounter, with God, the riches of spiritual history, and God's creative activity in the world today.

Our Master's program is distinguished from others by its roundtable learning environment (the most effective historical learning model), engaging peers, academics and creative leaders in a literal conversation that touches themes of Spiritual
Theology, Biblical Studies, Emerging Church Thought, Creativity, Postmodern Reflection, Ignatian Prayer, The Gifts Of Celtic Spirituality, Church History, Foundations of Western Civilization and more.

Our model of training via two (2) week intensive modules” twice per year (over the course of two-years), one of which is an overseas, on-site study tour in Greece and Turkey, Israel or Europe, joined with a third and final year of thesis work (either a written work that focuses on an area of your ministry passion, or a creative artifact that synthesizes your learning into a project that can feed the Church or cultural of today) is a powerfully unique and proven model for equipping active spiritual leaders while they remain in their spheres of local, regional, national or international ministry.

The Master Of Ministry Degree in Worship Studies & Spiritual Formation is a professional enrichment degree, rather than a standard, Ph.D. preparatory academic degree. In other words, while the program is rigorous academicly, its goal is primarily the enrichment of the leader - not primarily the pursuit of further Ph.D. work.

Worship Leader Training

We’re imagining networks hundreds of years down the road, renewing our vision by considering the effect that the decisions of today’s worshiping generation will have on the Church to come. We’re deepening our thinking, singing from a vibrant center, and leading with the passionate zeal of today – infused with the wisdom and energies of the past.

The Institute Of Contemporary & Emerging Worship Studies (ICEWS) has just been born at St. Stephen’s University in New Brunswick, Canada. The ICEWS is designed to engage an international base of today’s current and creative worship leaders in a vibrant conversation on contemporary and emerging worship leadership, and at the same time offer a variety of university-level programs, led by a team of influential worship leaders and scholars, suited to lead worshipers in various stages of their leadership journey.

In partnership with SSU ICEWS is now offering certificate, diploma and Master’s degree programs in Worship Leadership & Spiritual Formation, all designed to offer today’s contemporary worship leader an opportunity to advance their academic/practical study, widen their historical/theological perspective and hone their skills in effective worship leadership within 21st century culture.

Each level is uniquely designed to cater to the formation needs of various types of worship leaders, and the course work is designed to further the building of the present and emerging Church in worship, by reinvesting the present with the riches of the past, to call us forward into the future.

Watch Intro Video

Imagine

What if someone created an intimate, roundtable learning conversation for today’s active worship leader, that drew on the riches of classical and Celtic Christianity, Ignatian prayer, spiritual theology, ancient spiritual formation literature, church and worship history, emerging and postmodern cultural reflection, community life reflection and advanced worship leadership training – all from experts in each field and offered in a beautiful and creatively inspiring environment?

Sound too good to be true? What if that same program offered university-level credentials, was led and developed by well-respected modern worship leaders, included a select group of international students, and involved media training from contemporary worship influencers such as N.T. Wright, Matt Redman, Brian Doerksen, Don Williams, Brenton Brown, Tim Hughes, Derek Morphew, John Eldredge, Kathryn Scott, Peter Fitch, Mike Pilavachi, Peter Davids and others?

What if the costs were less than you would pay for specialized academic training at virtually any other university in North America or Europe? What if there were programs available for both emerging and experienced worship leaders? What if pastors and churches had a place to send their young worship leaders, or their seasoned worship leaders, for training that would shape them and their ministry expression for the rest of their lives?

Welcome to the Institute Of Contemporary & Emerging Worship Studies, at St. Stephen’s University in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada.