WRSP 102 Introduction to Technology and Tools for Worship Leaders

This course is an introductory study of common technologies used in worship ministry. Application is made to lighting design, audio and video production, presentation software, staging, planning tools, and a variety of multi-media possibilities.

 information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Human beings are wired to be creative for God’s glory and honor. At perhaps no other time in history has there been such a compelling cry for creativity in the local church. Each student preparing for leadership roles in the local church in the 21st century must be versed in a variety of the creative tools, techniques, and technological infrastructures available to the worship leader.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

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Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each Discussion. Each thread must be at least 500 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 200 words. No citations are required unless using outside sources. Any sources cited must have been published within the last 5 years. Acceptable sources include textbooks, magazine articles, blogs, and educational video content. All other elements required by the prompt must be included.

This introductory assignment is designed to walk the student through the installation process of all of the various pieces of software he/she will need throughout the course. Each of these will be directly involved in one or more assignments, so it is critical that the student have them installed and ready to use when the time comes. The student will submit screenshots indicating successful installation and/or configuration.

Planning Center Set Creation Assignment

Using the knowledge gained in the module, the student will build a full worship set in Planning Center for 2 service times. The student will create Band, Vocals, and Tech teams with assigned worship roles for the instructor and fictitious members. The worship set will include headers, 3 songs with accompanying metadata, a sermon, other relevant service elements, and scheduling components. The student will submit screenshots indicating successful completion.

Stage Plot Creation Assignment

Based on the worship set the student created in the Planning Center Set Creation Assignment, the student will create a diagram of instruments, microphones, DIs, monitors, and power needs on the worship stage using the provided template and example documents as guides. The document must also include an input list, designating how many channels are required on the audio console. This stage plot must be completed in Google Drawings and submitted as a PDF.

Throughout this course, the student will spend time learning about the technological tools that are commonly used in the worship context, while also exploring the theological and cultural considerations surrounding the arts in the worship context. The student will bring all these elements together by crafting a vision for a way forward over the course of 3 assignments: The Arts in Worship Preparation Assignment, The Arts in Worship Draft Assignment, and The Arts in Worship Final Submission Assignment. The first assignment will help the student prepare for the final assignment by creating an initial draft of an outline for the essay, as well as the initial bibliography. The assignment will be 3–5 pages, have a strong mix of relevant, credible sources to support the topic (with at least 1 scholarly and 1 biblical reference), and use Turabian format. The assignment should include a clear thesis supported by organized main points with planned evidence and examples.

ProPresenter Worship Set Creation Assignment

The student will use the knowledge gained in the module to create a fully functional ProPresenter worship set. All service elements must be present, including announcement loops, songs, teaching notes, and headers that are configured based on the assignment instructions and the provided video tutorial. Once the video tutorial has been completed, the student will submit 3 files for this assignment: an exported playlist bundle, a screenshot of the Screen Configuration window, and a screenshot of the Looks window.

In this second assignment, the student will create a first draft of their final essay. Using the existing outline and bibliography from The Arts in Worship Preparation Assignment as a guide, the student will create the body of the essay. The assignment will be 3–5 pages (not including the title page and bibliography), have a strong mix of relevant, credible sources to support the topic (with at least 1 scholarly and 1 biblical reference), and use Turabian format. The assignment should present an individual perspective with clear and articulate ideas adapted to the student’s context.

Personal Live Stream Assignment

Utilizing the worship set created in the ProPresenter Worship Set Creation Assignment in conjunction with YouTube, the student will create and conduct a short, personal live stream, demonstrating knowledge of the requirements and processes involved. The student will submit the live stream share link to complete the assignment.

The Arts in Worship Final Submission Assignment

In this assignment, the student will create a final version of his/her essay. Using the existing first draft, bibliography, and grading feedback from The Arts in Worship Preparation Assignment and The Arts in Worship Draft Assignment as a guide, the student will finalize the body of the essay and submit for final grading. The assignment will be 3–5 pages (not including the title page and bibliography), have a strong mix of relevant, credible sources to support the topic (with at least 1 scholarly and 1 biblical reference), and use Turabian format. The assignment should present an individual perspective with clear and articulate ideas adapted to the student’s context.

Quizzes (8)

Each quiz will cover the Learn or Textbook material for the assigned modules. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 2–17 multiple-choice, multiple-answer, true/false, matching, and/or essay questions, and have a time limit of 1 hour and 30 minutes. The exception is Quiz: Church Tech for Church Growth, which will be open-book/open-notes, contain 25 multiple-choice, multiple-answer, true/false, and matching questions, and have a time limit of 1 hour. All quizzes except Quiz: The Arts in the Church and Quiz: Technology in the Arts allow 2 attempts, and the highest attempt will count toward the grade. Quiz: The Arts in the Church and Quiz: Technology in the Arts allow 1 attempt.