Principles of Worship Leadership – WRSP 321

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

This course is about the worship leader's responsibility to build relationships with Christ, the family, people inside and outside the church, the pastoral staff, praise team ministry, the profession, and the congregation. Practical principles of Church ministry including time management, budgeting, and discipleship training are part of this course.

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

Rationale

The need for full-time worship pastors that qualify as spiritual, musical, and pedagogical leaders has never been greater. In order for worship pastors to function well in the diverse, ever-changing evangelical church, they must understand how to relate well with church staff, church members and the worship team. Additionally, they must be able to effectively guide and administrate a comprehensive worship program. As a practical resource in leadership, this course covers a wide range of topics such as: leading with integrity and character, developing and implementing philosophy, establishing chains of command, the dangers of insubordination, time management, staff relationships, emotional intelligence, administrative responsibilities for musicians, building a calendar, budgeting, discipleship training, building staff, and leading one’s family.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

Course Requirements Checklist

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

Discussions (4)

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 300 words and include at least one citation. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to at least 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 150 words.

Strengths Based Leadership Report Assessment

The student will complete the Strength Based Leadership Assessment (required access code is included with the purchase of the book) and review his/her results. The student will write a 500-750-word self-evaluation in current Turabian format based on the inventory assessment, especially as related to his/her top five leadership qualities. The evaluation must reference the assessment findings and make application to current and/or future ministry leadership. A pdf of the Leadership Assessment must be submitted along with the self-evaluation.

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 Report Assignment

The student will complete the online Emotional Intelligence 2.0 Assessment (required access code is included with the purchase of the book) and write a 800-1,000-word self-evaluation based on the findings of the assessment. The student will write a 200-250-word summary and evaluation per assessment section (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management). Personal strategies/goals for improving each EQ weakness must be included. The student will also submit the Assessment as a pdf. Current Turabian format must be used.

Worship Ministry Calendar and Budget Proposal Assignment

Using the provided template, the student will propose an annual worship ministry budget for a church of 300-500 (mid-level church barrier) members. The budget must demonstrate a thorough understanding of planning (long and short term), calendaring in a team environment, operational and capital expenses, age-based team resourcing, and provide a rationale for the budget. A template will be provided. Where applicable, current Turabian format must be used.

Goal-Setting Project Assignment

The student will outline a five-year set of personal goals (long-range, mid-range, and short-range). All goals must follow the principles outlined in the readings and lectures. Current Turabian format must be used.

Weekly Schedule Assignment

The student will propose a weekly schedule (Sunday – Saturday) of activities. It must include: work hours, education/study, dining, leisure, sleep, family, quiet time, etc. The schedule must reflect a biblical and organizational understanding of establishing goals, setting priorities, and time management. A template will be provided for this assignment.

Practical Leadership Philosophy Assignment

The student will complete this assignment in two parts.

In part 1, the student will synthesize the course material by developing a practical leadership philosophy for worship ministry (10-12 pages not including title page and bibliography). This paper should reflect a thorough understanding of the leadership principles taught in the course and address the major components of the course as articulated in the course description. The paper must contain at least 5 scholarly citations and at least 1 reference per page. The paper must be in current Turabian format.

In part 2, the student will develop a 4-5 page plan for discipling his/her worship team, based on the philosophy he/she developed in part 1 of the assignment. The plan must include six 15-minute devotionals covering topics relevant to your team.

Quizzes (4)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned module. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 20 multiple-choice and true-false questions, and have a 40-minute time limit.