WRSP 840 Current Trends and Transitions in Christian Worship

An exploration of the current trends and transitions related to leadership, music, worship, and culture, and their influence on the church today.

Today’s evangelical church is witnessing numerous shifts in philosophy, methodology, and theology related to worship. The resulting trends establish what appears to be positive adjustments for the worshiping community. However, not every change is thoughtfully vetted and carefully developed. Additionally, new positions of influence in the church have been recognized: the worship artist and songwriter. The responsibility of these positions should not be underestimated, as congregants often learn their theology from the lyrics of songs more than from the points of the pastor’s sermon. With the recognition of gifted musicians, artists, and songwriters, the church leadership must also recognize and emphasize the imperative of theological grounding of these servants of Christ and, further, encourage the stability of the body of Christ through theologically grounded songs for worship. The transitions that permeate the Evangelical Church culture in the twenty-first century should be studied and evaluated to determine the value, necessity, and wisdom of such changes.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

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

Discussions (8)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each forum. Each thread must be at least 400 words. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to at least 2 classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 200 words. For each thread, the student should refer to course readings and presentations, but direct citations are not necessary.  For any references to external documents, citations are required in current Turabian format. Additionally, the student should include 1 biblical reference in current Turabian format.  The student may include 1 citation or 1 biblical reference in current Turabian format in their reply to their classmates’ posts as a demonstration of further research support, but this is not required.

Research Paper Assignment

The student will write a 12–15-page research-based paper in current Turabian format that focuses on one of the topics provided in the course. The paper must include 10–15 references, not including the course textbooks and the Bible, and utilize footnote citations.

The paper will include the following elements:

Section I.  The student will present research, context, analysis, and discussion for the selected topic. 

Section II.  The student will provide a methological treatment for the topic.  In this section, the student will develop an approach or formulate a solution that meets the issues, challenges, and/or perspectives discussed in section I based on research, literature, experience, and the Bible.

4-MAT Book Review Assignment

Utilizing the 4-MAT Review System, the student will write a 1,300–1,800-word review of the assigned textbook in current Turabian format. In addition to the textbook, the assignment must contain at least 1 other scholarly reference and 1 biblical reference.

Current Roles of the Worship Leader: Final Assignment

The student will outline a minimum of 8 strategic roles of the worship leader/pastor in the current ministry context.  The paper should include an evaluation of current practices/roles, as compared with earlier models of music ministry/pastoral leadership and projected practices/roles, that may develop based on current practices and research.  The overarching context of the assignment is tied to the emphasis of current trends and transitions in Christian worship.

For this final assignment, the student will develop the following sections:

1. Section I: Outline of the various roles of the worship leader/pastor.  The student should list a minimum of 8 strategic roles. This should include the role, description, job duties, anticipated responsibilities, and potential resources to successfully fulfill the roles articulated.
2. Section II: Comparison to job responsibilities/roles in previous models of music ministry/pastoral leadership.
3. Section III: List of 5 projected practices/roles that may develop based on course materials, current practices, and research. Each projected role should include a description, rationale, and potential impact on the worship leader’s responsibilities and overall ministry context.
4. Bibliography of at least 10 scholarly sources (in addition to course textbooks and the Bible) used in the student’s research on this topic.
5. List of resources (minimum of 5) helpful to worship leaders/pastors dealing with the changing roles confronting them in the current ministry context.
6. The paper should be 8-10-pages in length and follow current Turabian format, including a title page, footnotes, and a bibliography.