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November 2008 Fall Edition Issue #17 | |
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In This Issue Click to go to the article. · Reggie's new role · Half price seminars
Phyllis Tickle in the Press Recently in Grand Rapids for a speaking and book signing engagement, Phyllis Tickle was interviewed by The Grand Rapids Press:
Attention college professors: A student from your institution may qualify for a scholarship to IWS as the recipient of the IWS Award of Distinction in Christian Worship. Contact Jim Hart for more information.
Rublev's Trinity Click to enlarge.
Toward defining the Great Emergence "The Great Emergence . . . has been both characterized and informed by increasing restraints upon, or out right rejections of, pure capitalism; by traditional or mainline Protestantism's loss of demographic base; by the erosion or popular rejection of the middle class's values and the nuclear family as the requisite foundational unit of social organization; by the shift from cash to information as the base of economic power; and by the demise of the nation-state and the rise of globalization (Phyllis Tickle, The Great Emergence, 51-52).
IWS: "Much more than I expected" Now that I am approaching the end of the DWS program, I thank God for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be part of this learning and serving community. I share with my friends about learning at IWS– “I am getting much more than I expected!” (Kai Ton Chau, Ontario, Canada)
Please invest in the life-changing work of IWS with your gifts.
Book for the January Session Jim Hart has selected The Dangerous Act of Worship: Living God's Call to Justice, by Mark Labberton (IVP Books, 2007) as the discussion book for the January Session.
Keeping community Please share your personal news with the IWS community. Send me an email with a few details about your life, family, ministry.
Chicago area gathering Click here to page down to a few pictures from this recent event.
Denver area regional This past summer the regional met to bid good-bye to Jon and Jada Swanson as they prepared to move to Oregon to plant a church. Part of the evening was spent singing around Larry Ellis' pipe organ (that's right--a pipe organ in his home!). Click the picture to enlarge.
IWS promotional poster We have produced a very attractive promotional poster with a tear-off, self-addressed postcard to request more information on IWS. These posters may be placed in churches, colleges, grad schools and seminaries where interested potential students would see them. Please contact the IWS office for copies of this new poster.
Webber Quote of
the Week: This Thanksgiving marks the 1st anniversary of the online Webber quotes. During this first year we have walked through two of Bob's books (The Divine Embrace and Blended Worship), with a few seasonal quotes from Ancient-Future Time and other writings. We're currently mining Bob's wisdom from Ancient-Future Worship. Each Monday a new quote is published on the website and emailed to the IWS community and interested friends. If you're not receiving these weekly emails let me know. Check out the Quote Archive. How about some feedback? Is this a worthwhile endeavor? Have you ever forwarded a quote to a friend? Do you have a quote to suggest? Have you added a Webber Quote of the Week icon/link on your website? Talk to me.
Spread the wisdom and promote IWS! Add this or a similar icon as a hyperlink on your Web site. Contact Kent Walters for more info.
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From the Editor: Discerning the timesBob Webber was often referred to as a modern-day prophet. This is not surprising given his ability to discern our times, his knack for synthesizing and communicating vast amounts of knowledge in an understandable and compelling way, his vision for the Church rooted in Scripture and history, and his relentless call to genuine worship in a sea of cultural and ecclesial change. Bob consistently demonstrated the rare ability to read the church in its cultural context and goad her to faithfulness and renewal. He spoke truth with boldness, shining its light on our grievous shortcomings as well as our glorious future. I am forever grateful for this servant of God and his ongoing influence in my life. In need of perspective, Bob's wisdom often helped me "connect the dots" in history and theology, giving me renewed passion for the work of the kingdom in my small area of influence.
I have recently experienced a fresh sense of "dot connecting" in
reading
Ph Carefully linking significant events that have contributed to the major shift currently emerging in the church and the world, Ms. Tickle writes with the skill of an historian and sage in a book that I highly recommend to everyone in the IWS community. The timeliness of this book is amplified by the overwhelming challenges our country now faces, such as economic collapse of our varied institutions, major political and social restructuring, and the consequent global repercussions. We are blessed indeed to have Phyllis Tickle scheduled for our 2009 seminar at IWS, June 13-16! Check out the short video (2:45) below in which Phyllis describes the "Great Emergence." Then, read the book, mark the seminar dates, and plan to be inspired!
Kent Walters, D.W.S. (Alpha, 2002)
A Journey of "Bright Sadness"by Jim Hart
In the Eastern Church the services in the season of Lent
are sometimes described as having a quality of “bright sadness.” I think
this describes a bit of what IWS has been experiencing during the past two
years—a
In Luke 8:18 Jesus says, “Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.” As a community of faith, together we are called to listen to his voice, deny or empty ourselves (becoming intentionally poor on behalf of others) and follow Jesus. Our mandate is clear, supported by an outstanding infrastructure of faculty, staff, board and alumni, and armed with an innovative, learner-based and communally oriented educational approach. But we must continue to be “careful how we listen.” Or, as our board chair John Lindsell says, “Keep your eye on the ball.” By God’s grace we are committed to avoid distractions from our mission and to stay focused on being instruments for worship renewal and Kingdom advancement. It has been a productive and busy fall. Enrollment remains strong as we welcome the largest incoming class in school history. Partnerships are being discussed between IWS and several other theological institutions, benefiting the IWS community in numerous ways, including the pending establishment of a local library consortium. In the October 2008 issue of Worship Leader magazine, IWS was featured as one of the top educational programs that influenced Christian worship in the past calendar year. Also in October, faculty member Dr. Reggie Kidd was tapped to become a new columnist and member of the editorial board and conference staff for Worship Leader magazine beginning in January of 2009, assuming the role previously held by Robert Webber. And, in conjunction with the conference on the Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future at Northern Seminary, we held our first “official” alumni event in Chicago. Last week we submitted our updated self-study to ABHE, requesting a site visit in June for full accreditation consideration. It has also been a sad time. On September 10, IWS alumnus and Professor of Church Music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Lyndel Vaught, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 63. Lyndel was a dedicated friend of IWS as well as a beloved mentor to many of our students. He will be sorely missed. It seems to me that being “careful how we listen” involves building on our solid foundation, embracing the richness of Kingdom living and legacies we have enjoyed in this community, and looking ahead to the challenges of future development and growth. As we continue through our journey of bright sadness, both mourning and rejoicing, we recognize how much we need each other so we can truly listen, follow and serve. by Carla Waterman
The following is an
excerpt from Carla Waterman’s forthcoming book—All is Epilogue Behind the piano in my living room hangs a large print of Rublev’s famous icon of the Trinity. While there are many details written into this famous work, I have always been captivated by the eyes. The eyes of the Father look with love on the Son, the Son looks back with love at the Father, and the Holy Spirit, with head slightly bowed, is both absorbing and reflecting back the love between Father and Son. Here is love initiated, here is love received. As Jean Corbin reflects, The mysterious river of divine communion is an outpouring of love among the Three, and in it eternal life consists. Each person is gift and acceptance of gift, never varying, yet not motionless…each is joy given gratuitously and accepted freely.[i] To be human is to be created a relational being whose life flows out of this Trinitarian communion. While this dance of love is most readily perceived in the one-flesh union of husband and wife, we ought never forget that even the best marriage is a mere reflection of the all-penetrating love that lies at the heart of the Trinity.
To live in these divinely extended feminine graces of simplicity, receptivity, wisdom, confidence and buoyancy is, somehow, to be caught up in the loving gaze of the Son toward His Father. Receptive love adores great Initiator. And from this divine exchange of love proceeds life itself. Again Jean Corbin writes, In the communion of the Blessed Trinity no person is named for himself. There is here neither ‘in itself’ nor ‘for itself’: terms that among us are signs of barrenness and death. In the communion of the living God, the mystery of each person is to be for the other: ‘O! Thou!’[iii] Whether in marriage, in friendship, in the commerce of everyday life or, most especially, in the church, women and men are privileged to carry the fundamental creaturely expression of a much larger reality. This realization ought to make us wonder at the hints of Trinitarian communion offered us through the woman across the fellowship hall and the man in the next pew. When wonder pervades our encounters with each other our souls are strengthened and our lives are blessed. We taste what cannot be analyzed and are somehow drawn into an eternal communion beyond our capacity to express in words. May these feminine graces take root and grow in us, that as women of God, as faithful Christian souls and as the Church awaiting her Bridegroom we might be caught up—as much as our frail beings can bear—into this Trinitarian love where all, indeed, is very, very well. [i] Jean Corbin, The Wellspring of Worship (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2005), 31. [ii] C.S. Lewis, Perelandra (New York: MacMillan Pub., 1944), 200. [iii] Jean Corbin, The Wellspring of Worship, 30.
Worship Leader
magazine recently named IWS as one of the top educational programs
that influenced Christian
Jim Hart commented, "IWS is honored to receive the Worship Leader magazine 2008 Editor's Pick designation. This award honors the hard work and dedication of the students, alumni, faculty, board and staff of IWS, as well as Bob Webber's rich legacy in worship education."
The magazine also named
Robert Webber in the category, "10 Biggest
Influences in the Worship
Arena." Citing his more than 40 books,
by Jim HartIWS has been blessed with high retention rate among our students. In other words, very few of our students drop out of either the MWS or DWS programs. This is due, at least in part, to the strong sense of community that is established and nurtured among and between students, faculty, alumni, staff, and board members.
In an
attempt to maintain an intentional connection between alumni and students,
IWS is developing a mentoring program. Here is how this will
work. One or two alumni will be invited to sit in on each class during
each session. These alumni will serve to encourage, pray for and mentor
the students in the class during that semester, initiating contacts with
the students and providing assistance as requested by the student.
Additionally, alumni will be invited to participate in all of the worship
services and other events in the on-campus experience during the week.
Reggie Kidd Assumes Bob's role at WL Beginning in January 2009, Dr. Reggie Kidd will become a new columnist and  member of the editorial board and
conference staff
for Worship
Leader magazine. Chuck Fromm, Publisher and Editor in
Chief of Worship Leader,
asked
Reggie to assume the role previously held by Bob
Webber, inviting readers to learn from the church historical and to
worship in a way that "does God's story."
In each edition of the magazine, Reggie will be contributing a column entitled "One Voice." Reggie says, "In many respects, that one voice is IWS's voice." Joanne Webber affirmed, “There is no one better to carry on Bob’s rich legacy and message than Reggie Kidd. He is an outstanding scholar, thinker and practitioner in Christian worship.” Reggie has served on the IWS faculty for eight years. He is also Professor of New Testament and Dean of the Chapel at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. His writings include Wealth and Beneficence in the Pastoral Epistles, the notes on Ephesians and Colossians for the New Geneva Study Bible, and With One Voice: Discovering Christ's Song in our Worship. Congratulations, Reggie! Connie Cherry: Belgium, Baker, and Beecher
Dr.
Cherry was invited to serve as visiting professor at the
Evangelische
Theologische Faculteit (Evangelical Theological Faculty) in Leuven,
Belgium (near Brussels) this past May. ETF is an international seminary
offering master’s degrees as well as the Ph.D. Courses are taught
in English, and students who know English as a second language come from all
over the world for this residential program. Dr. Cherry taught the
course, “Advanced Liturgy” in a week intensive format. There were nine students in
the class from such countries as Belarus, Assyria, Ghana, Haiti,
Netherlands, and Romania. (Click on the picture to enlarge). The students
were quite young by comparison to U.S. seminaries; most were in their
20’s. She acquainted her class members with IWS and one of the top
Dr. Cherry has received news that her book, The Worship Architect: A Blueprint for Designing Worship Services in Any Style, will be published by Baker Academic. The book is designed to be a basic introductory worship textbook suitable for seminary or upper level undergraduate courses. “This book brings together many years of teaching which is highly influenced by the work of Robert Webber. I hope it will be of use in both the academy as well as local churches that are serious about planning worship in thoughtful, intentional ways.” Congratulations, Connie! One of Connie’s hymn texts, When Will People Cease Their Fighting?, has been posted on the General Board of Discipleship (UMC) website. The text sings nicely to the tune Beecher. Here’s the first verse:
When will people cease their fighting? Copyright © 1990 Hope Publishing Co., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188
Meal time conversations and classroom
discussions at IWS often turn to issues surrounding church staff relations and/or
finding common vision in worship theology and planning with co-workers.
One way to bridge the gap of understanding is to bring your pastor or
worship pastor/director to
an IWS seminar. Our 10th anniversary year
will feature TWO alumni and fri This summer--June 13-16, 2009--we are privileged to welcome Phyllis Tickle, founding editor of the religion department at Publishers Weekly and one of the most highly respected authorities and popular speakers on religion in America today. This seminar on the Great Emergence is sure to have broad appeal given the subject matter of her new book. Mark the dates and look for registration details in the February edition of Anamnesis.
Dr. John Witvliet will be the speaker for our first January
Session
Seminar scheduled for 2010. John is the Director of the
Calvin Institute
of Christian Worship, and
Professor of Music and Worship at Calvin College and Calvin Seminary in
Grand Rapids, MI. His latest book is
The Biblical Psalms in
Christian Worship: A Brief Introduction and Guide
to
Resources. The dates for this event are January
6-8, 2010. AND, I'm happy to announce that Dr. Simon Chan, Earnest Lau Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Theological College in Singapore, has agreed to be our seminar speaker for June 2010! Chan's book, Liturgical Theology: The Church as Worshiping Community, is another must-read for everyone in the IWS community!
A 10-day Holy Land
Tour/Seminar with Jerry Borchert is in the planning stages. As many
of you know, Jerry has been leading tours and
teaching on the biblical, historical and archeological significance of the
ancient sites for many
years. He really A good amount of interest was expressed following the first announcement of this trip in the last edition of Anamnesis, but we still need more travelers before definitive dates and plans can be set. Please contact Kent Walters as soon as possible to express your interest in being a part of this IWS trip. Lyndel Vaught, D.W.S. (Zeta, 2005)
Since 1993 he was Professor of Church Music at Southwestern Theological Seminary. The news release published by the seminary lauded Lyndel as a missions-minded music professor who will be greatly missed. "In the last few days of his life he spent his time encouraging others in the assurance of salvation and the hope that lies ahead of all who put their faith in Jesus," said Stephen Johnson, dean of the school of church music at the seminary. "Dr. Vaught's heart for the future ministers that sat in his classroom was well-known," Johnson said. "His love for deep worship and active missionary involvement, most recently with the Navajo, represented passions that occupied many of his conversations and much of his time." During his sabbatical in the 2007-08 academic year, Lyndel ministered to Native Americans in New Mexico. A 2005 graduate of IWS, Lyndel had a heart for ministry to senior adults. He is the author of the book, Senior Adult Choir Ministry--Age Is No Excuse. His IWS thesis was titled, A Daily Worship Guidebook to Promote Personal Christian Worship During Holy Week Among Senior Adults, Age 65-85 at the Silver Serenaders Choir, Dallas, Texas. In addition to his wife, Janet, he is survived by three children, Andrea, Christopher and William. Alum/Student Focus: Jay WrightJay Wright, M.W.S. (Gimel, 2008); D.W.S. Candidate (Sigma) I asked Jay to introduce himself since many of our alumni and new students may not know him. Jay recently accepted the worship leadership position at New Grace Church where Jim Hart served before assuming the full-time role as President of IWS. The New Grace congregation continues to be a welcoming faith community to IWS, with many families offering hospitality to numerous students during on-campus sessions, and others helping in countless ways behind the scenes, for which we are very grateful. Amy and I have been married for almost seven years. We have three wonderful children: Isaac (5), Josiah (3), and Olivia (1). I served as Minister of Music at First Baptist Church in Dalhart, Texas from 2004 to July 2008. In the years before coming to Dalhart, I served as “worship leader” at Westover Fellowship Church in Amarillo, Texas, and First Baptist Church in Canyon, Texas.
While serving in
Texas, Amy and I both sensed God moving us toward a more
liturgically-oriented community. In June of this year, we accepted a call
from New Grace Church, Fleming Island, Florida, to become their Pastoral
Musician. So we packed up the family, said goodbye to friends and family
in Texas, and made the 1,500 mile journey to northeast Florida.
In general, my work at New Grace is concerned with bringing "form and shape" to the community's sung prayer, fostering the spiritual formation of Christ's missional body (See Paul Westermeyer, The Church Musician, 37, and Virgil C. Funk, The Pastoral Musician, v). This entails planning the musical elements of the worship services, leading and providing oversight to various musical ensembles, and working with the clergy toward a sound and whole theology of worship as expressed in our weekly services. My role also looks proactively toward the discipleship and training of fellow servant musicians at varying levels. I love this position for many reasons. I really enjoy working with the distinct community of musicians at New Grace: discerning with them what their part to play in the church is and co-laboring with them to fulfill this role. I also enjoy the rich and eclectic musical style my predecessor, our president, Jim Hart, has worked so diligently to establish. It is truly a joy and privilege to continue the work of worship renewal that Jim has begun at New Grace. The annual AEF Conference was held October 9-11 at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL. This conference, the third in a series that focuses each year on one section of "A Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future," was titled, On the Church: the Continuation of God's Narrative. It you're wondering, "What in the world is The Call?," click here to read a CT interview with Bob Webber on the topic. You need to be aware of this significant document and the vision behind it. David Neff has posted an excellent summary/overview of the conference. You can still benefit from the conference via streaming video; page down the link to see the 13 videos that are available. Also, outlines and notes from the sessions may be found on the desertpastor blog. Click on the October archives and page down through the October 9-12 postings. IWS Chicago Regional Gathering Following the conference, IWSers and friends who attended the conference or live in the greater Chicago area met at Reza's Restaurant nearby for an excellent Mediterranean lunch, great conversation, and a stimulating talk by Jim Hart: "IWS After 10 Years." Here are pictures (thanks to David Pannabecker!) of some of the 13 people who attended. Click on the thumbnails to see the larger versions.
Dear Students, Alumni, Faculty, Staff, Board Members and Friends of IWS, This Fall I have been contemplating the primal optimism of God, manifested even in trying times. As we live into our call to participate in God’s restoration of the whole created order, we can’t help but see his redemptive work all around us. His grace and favor have been evident at IWS throughout this year. Our school has continued to thrive in the accomplishment of our mission as our graduates, faculty and students have continued to influence worship renewal all over the world. In February of this year, the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) awarded IWS candidacy status. Our library continues to expand as we move toward forming a local theological library consortium. During this past June’s graduation, 37 students received their diplomas and welcomed the charge to advance God’s Kingdom through renewed worship. I am thankful for God’s work in and through IWS. IWS remains committed to its mission of promoting worship renewal and education through transformed lives that are making a real difference in the church and the world. The ongoing fulfillment of our mission is truly a team effort, a team that includes you. As IWS has grown in numbers and influence, many have taken their places in their support and promotion of our mission by the investment into IWS of time, talent, treasure and prayer. Last year’s Annual Fund reached its goal of $75,000 despite economic hard times. Additional gifts were designated for scholarships, the Library Fund, the Alumni Fund and the Robert E. Webber Endowment Fund. As the school has matured, related areas of operational expense have grown, including our accreditation pursuit, activities related to development and recruitment, and the board’s decision in June to make the president’s position full-time. We want to continue responding to the challenges of faithfully fulfilling God’s mission for IWS. Therefore, we are launching the 2008-09 Annual Fund, with a goal of raising $80,000 this year. We are relying on your generosity and prayers to continue building the financial muscle we need for a secure future. Your gifts will be wisely invested in our students and the mission of our beloved institute. Please join Carol and me, along with the board, staff and faculty, and your fellow alumni and students, as we support the ongoing mission of IWS through our prayers and our gifts. Our goal for this drive is again to have the highest possible percentage of participation from the entire IWS family and friends. No gift is too small. If you are a first time donor, perhaps you would consider a $10 gift in honor of our tenth anniversary. Please also consider IWS in the mission budgets of your churches. The future of IWS continues to be bright with the blessing and presence of God. Thank you for your support of the Lord’s work in and through IWS. Grace and peace to you,
James R. Hart, President © 2008 The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies |
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Contact Information
Worship
Studies
Director
of Alumni Activities and Editor of Anamnesis
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ends seminars--one during
the June Session of 2009 and one during the January Session of 2010.
AND--you may bring your pastor or worship pastor/director to
these seminars for half price on the registration!
desires to share this experience with the IWS
community. We are earmarking the trip for February
2010. 
Lyndel
passed away on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, after a short battle with
pancreatic cancer, having been diagnosed on August 21. He was 63.
We
arrived on August 1st and celebrated our first Sunday with the
congregation on August 10th, which was also the first Sunday in the
