Strategies for Worship Leading – WRSP 440
CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 02/01/2024
Course Description
This is a methods course that deals with strategic planning for worship ministry. Attention is given to the principles for developing services that encompass a variety of worship models. Students will learn about established patterns of worship and how they can be adapted not only for worship style, but also for churches of all sizes.
For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.
Rationale
With the emergence of a diverse and ever-changing worship culture, worship leaders must be equipped to sculpt creative and engaging worship services. This task has been complicated by the emergence of a consumer-driven mentality that has resulted in congregations being categorized by worship style (i.e., traditional, blended, and contemporary). This modern worship culture has resulted in a necessity for modern worship leaders to develop a broad skill set in order to effectively function in the local church. This course will explore strategies for planning worship based on different style models and targeted at churches of various sizes. In addition, students will develop practical organizational methods applicable to ministries of all sizes and identities.
Course Assignment
After reading the Syllabus, Student Expectations, and Introduction to Biblical Worldview training, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.
Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will participate in 2 discussions in the course. The initial thread will be based on ministry or church knowledge and experiences, as well as insight gained from the course. In addition, the student will reply to at least 2 classmates in line with the concept of "give and take." Replies to peers must include positive feedback, possible alternative recommendations, and share at least one concept or idea that the reader has gained that they can apply in their own ministry. Students may have the opportunity to participate in an optional synchronous discussions. Students who want to participate in optional Live discussions must download a free version of Microsoft TEAMS. A link to Microsoft TEAMS is provided in the first module in which a discussion is located. A link to Microsoft TEAMS is also provided in the Discussion resources for each Discussion. Optional Live Discussions may not be offered in every module.
The student will write a 2 to 3-page reflection that explains the current structure and foundation of worship services in their home church. The paper should include an overview of the biblical foundations and Christocentric nature of the student's church’s services based on themes presented in the Cherry text. Turabian formatting is required.
The student will will create a 7 to 10 minute PowerPoint presentation that contains 13 to 15-slides with audio narration. The PowerPoint will explore the foundation of worship, worship models and styles, and applications for each topic in the student's home church. The student must include a bibliography slide to recognize sources used in the PowerPoint, including the Cherry text. The PowerPoint should be constructed in a way that could be presented as part of a worship team meeting or small group study.
The student will create an active library of worship songs and hymns for worship ministry using the Song Cycle Model as presented in the course text. A Song Cycle Example is provided in the Song Cycle Assignment Resources and should be used as a guide for the student to create their own Song Cycle.
The student will select a service theme/sermon topic for a worship service and develop a mind map as part of the creative worship planning process. The student will download a template from a provided website to create their mind map. The mind map requires the central topic and at least 4 extensions related to the worship service being planned.
The student will compose three 2-page papers highlighting the insights gained from the various modules on church size. The first page should be a personal reflection written in well-constructed sentences. The second page should be a bulleted list of benefits and challenges associated with the church size addressed in the reflection. This portion of the paper should include at least 4 benefits and 4 challenges. The paper should exhibit clear connection to the assigned Learn items from the assigned module.
The student will utilize Planning Center, an online planning tool, to create unique service orders for small, medium, and large churches in the three most common worship styles: (traditional or traditional/liturgical, contemporary, and blended). For each style of worship, the student will create unique plans that indicate the appropriate numbers of volunteers/staff, instrumentation, worship flow, music, and other worship elements that are representative of the size and style of worship being designed. The student may use any combination of worship style and church size, however, all three of the major styles must be reflected in the three service orders that are submitted.
The student will list strategies for working toward excellence based on personal spiritual development, worship/music planning, and servant leadership. The student will use a provided template to list at least seven strategies for each category. The statements must be written in complete sentences, use correct grammar, and exhibit connection to course content.
