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.