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In This
Issue
Click
to go to the article.
· From
the editor
· President's
column
· Faculty
column: Lester Ruth
·
Alumni focus:
The impact of IWS
· Chan
seminar report
·
January worship seminar
· Congrats
2010 grads
· Alumni
and student news
Simon Chan on
why we engage in worship
"Personal active
participation does not mean that one engages the liturgy for the purpose
of one’s own benefit. Participation in the liturgy is participation in the
faith of the Church actualized in the liturgy. We don’t look for what may
uplift our soul, as is the case with contemporary, non-liturgical
worship."
(Quote from the June 2010
Worship Seminar.)
Lester Ruth was recently in
Grand Rapids for three weeks to teach a seminar course at Calvin College.
Several alumni and students gathered at a restaurant and enjoyed good
fellowship and fun (including several Ad Hoch Committee media reports!).
Lester spoke on the topic at the left. If you would be interested in
having an IWS Regional in your area (with or without a faculty member)
just
let me know. I'll help you with IWS
contacts near you.
If so, please
contact us with your new contact and
employment info. Thanks!
New photos added on the IWS Website
· June
Session
· Chan
Seminar
Constance Cherry will speak
on topics from her book, The Worship Architect, for the inaugural
Worship Arts Lecture Series at Judson University in Elgin, IL on Monday
evening, October 11, at 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact
Warren Anderson.
Simon Chan on
participation in worship
"Active participation in
worship is a demanding exercise. Worshippers should be like good actors
who “indwell” the script of a drama, acting out the liturgical text.
Giving instructions during worship is more like practicing the drama
rather than doing it."
(Quote from the June 2010
Worship Seminar.)
June Session Resources
Audio files from the June
2010 session are being edited and will be added to the Website in the coming weeks. Resources
will include
Jim Hart's Presidential Address, Convocation sermon by Lester Ruth,
Commencement sermon by David Neff, Simon Chan Worship Seminar sessions,
and chapel talks by Darrell Harris.
Here's the link.
Book for the June Session
Jim Hart selected Bob Webber's last book, Who Gets to Narrate the World for the book of the session in June.
Here's a quote:
"Evangelicals [should] turn away from forms of worship that focus on God
as a mere object of the intellect or that assert the self as the source
of worship. Such worship has resulted in lecture-oriented, music-driven,
performance-centered and program-controlled models that do not
adequately proclaim God’s cosmic redemption. Therefore,
we call evangelicals to recover the
historic substance of worship of Word and Table and to attend to the
Christian year, which marks time according to God’s saving acts."
Robert E. Webber,
Who Gets to Narrate the World? Contending for the
Christian Story in an Age of Rivals (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 2008), 121.
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From the Editor: The
Impact of IWS
IWS
students and alumni are changing the face of worship across the country
and around the world through biblically grounded and incredibly creative
initiatives.
I was
encouraged when several grads shared their stories during the January
Worship Seminar. The topic of discussion: The single
most significant impact IWS has had on your ministry. Three stories are
included below in the Alumni Focus. Be sure to click on the
[Read more . . .] link to see the rest of the story and a bevy of beautiful
photos that accompany Rodney Shores' article on applied theology in sacred
space.
It's our
desire to keep you connected, informed and inspired. So be sure to follow
the links in this edition that point to pictures and resources on our
Website from the June Session.
The Lord be
with you!
Kent Walters, D.W.S. (Alpha 2002)
Editor
President's Column: IWS Grants Honorary Doctorate to David Neff
by Dr. Jim Hart
 Last
month’s commencement service saw the awarding of the second honorary
doctorate in IWS’ history. Dean of the Chapel Darrell Harris was the first
recipient in 2002, and this year, the Doctor of Humane Letters was
presented to well-known editor, writer, pastor,
teacher and church musician David Neff, editor-in-chief of the
Christianity Today Media Group. The following is the script that was used
in conferring the degree:
Dr. Eric Bolger, Academic Dean:
Mr.
President, I have the honor and pleasure of presenting to you Mr. David
Neff, who has committed himself to Christ and His calling as a pastor,
teacher, editor, writer and church musician, and has demonstrated
outstanding merit and distinction which exemplifies the mission and goals
of the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies, to receive the
degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
David
Neff has worked in Christian journalism for nearly 30 years, serving in
the early 1980s as an editor for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s
magazine for college students and for the past 25 years at Christianity
Today, where he is currently editor-in-chief. Before becoming a journalist
and editor, Mr. Neff served as a pastor and religion teacher. He led
churches in California and Washington state and taught religion at Walla
Walla College. As a pastor and as a church musician, he has had an abiding
interest in liturgics. He has served as an organist and choral director at
Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Episcopal churches. For the past 23
years, he has been organist/ choirmaster at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church
in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. During that time he has also served as the chair
of the St. Barnabas liturgy commission and composed hymns, anthems, and
organ works.
Mr.
Neff is active in the American Guild of Organists, serves on the executive
committee of the National Association of Evangelicals, has served as
president of the Evangelical Press Association, and has been on the boards
of Bread for the World and the Association of Theological Schools.
Before
the death of Robert Webber, the Webbers and the board of Northern Baptist
Seminary asked Mr. Neff to serve as director of the Robert E. Webber
Center for an Ancient Evangelical Future.
Dr. James Hart, President:
David
Neff, having committed yourself to the work of Jesus Christ, the ministry
of worship leading and renewal, and a distinguished career in Christian
leadership, upon the recommendation of the faculty, by action of the Board
of Trustees, and under the authority granted by the State of Florida; I
confer upon you the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters with all the rights
and privileges appertaining thereto and together with a representative of
the Board of Trustees do hereby present to you the symbols of the degree.
The diploma was then presented, and Dr. Neff was hooded by
Dr. John Lindsell, Chairman of the board of Trustees.
This was David Neff’s second trip to IWS, having visited as
a guest speaker in January of 2008. IWS has enjoyed a strategic
partnership over the past four years with the Robert E. Webber Center for
an Ancient Evangelical Future and we look forward to a long-term
friendship. Congratulations, Dr. Neff! [Click on the pictures below to see
the full version.]
  
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Faculty Column:
Is God Just Hanging Out on the Sofa?
Initial Wonderings about the Inactivity of God
by Lester Ruth
 A
few years ago I published in a couple of places
a review that I had done
about the Trinitarian quality of the most used contemporary worship songs
in the United States. The study looked at the lyrics of any song that had
appeared on one of CCLI’s twice-a-year list of the most used 25 songs. One
of the things I noticed in that study was how few of the songs mentioned
two or more of the Triune Persons (e.g., the Father and the Son) in the
same song and, the few times it was done, how little the songs spoke about
any sort of activity the Persons did to, with, or through each other.
The striking thing about that omission is how out of sync
it is with the New Testament, where the interactions of God the Father,
Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit are reported quite frequently.
Indeed, what the Three do to, with, and through each other seems to be the
heart of the apostolic Gospel. (Look at Romans 1:1-4 for example.)
And so I had begun wondering: how do the most used songs
speak about divine and human activity? Who gets the most and the best
verbs? While I haven’t finished my analysis on the 91 songs that have
appeared on the CCLI lists, I can make some preliminary observations:
-
The songs have more
instances of human activity than divine (just under 500 instances of
human activity and just over 300 for divine);
-
A few of the songs
have no references to divine activity at all;
-
Interaction among the
Persons of the Godhead is pretty minimal, as I have already noted;
-
The doctrine of the
atonement (what it means for Christ to die) is largely underdeveloped
(it’s interesting to note that I can find only one instance of the verb
“crucify,” which is in the song “Above All”);
-
There is little
remembering God’s activity prior to the first coming of Christ and
remembering divine activity in the second coming of Christ;
-
The most used verb
attributed to God is “come,” which is connected with God more than the
words save, love, or die.
-
There are as many
instances of the songs speaking of us loving God as they do of God
loving us.
All of this data does not mean that I don’t like
contemporary worship music, which some might have thought after the first
study. I actually love this music. And this data does NOT mean that we
shouldn’t use these songs. Of course, we should use them. It should mean,
however, that we are conscious of how the rest of the things we do in
worship help to paint a richer biblical portrayal of God’s redeeming
activity because, in the end, aren’t we saved by what God does rather than
by what we do? If so, let’s let God have some good verbs.
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Alumni Focus:
The Impact of IWS on
our Ministries
The
three stories that follow were verbalized in an interesting discussion
during the January Worship Seminar on the single most important impact of
IWS education on our ministries. I asked three grads to put their stories
into writing. The first is from Jim Smith about the use of Scripture in
worship. The other two stories, by Dean Moyer and Rodney Shores, focus on
worship space. Would you like to share how IWS has impacted your ministry? Please
contact me.
_____________________
"Bibli-full" Worship
by Jim Smith
Jim
Smith (D.W.S., Epsilon 2007) is the Lead Pastor at Bethel Missionary
Church in Goshen, Indiana.
 The most visible
impact my studies at IWS had on the weekly worship service of the church I
pastor has been the principle of "revelation and response." This "little"
principle now gives the shape to our worship; so, our worship has
indubitably become "bibli-full." Our services usually only included the
text for the day before understanding this principle. Now our services
always include a biblical call to worship, an Old or New Testament lesson,
a Gospel lesson as well as the text for the day.
I can testify that
our congregation now expects and loves this shape for worship. They
consistently report a depth and substance to our worship that was not
there before. They also consistently report on how the Word is minimized
in worship services they visit during their vacations, describing in
detail the paucity they experience in their spirits because of its lack.
I must admit that we
lost people from our congregation because of our increased public reading
of the Word. Though I grieve over their departure, I would not give up
what we have gained in our worship.
I thank Dr. Cherry
for her soul-convicting
study of how time is spent in worship, for it was
her charts that finally motivated me to reshape our service of worship.
And I will be forever grateful for the ministry of IWS; its impact on my
life and ministry is incalculable.
_____________________
Legacy of Space
by Dean Moyer
Dean Moyer (D.W.S., Beta 2003) is Worship and Fine Arts Pastor at
Alliance Bible Fellowship in Boone, NC.
 Five
years ago Alliance Bible Fellowship embarked on a journey to expand our
facilities enabling us to move out of a 500-seat gym into a permanent
worship facility. With the conviction external spaces shape internal
beliefs, our desire was to create a worship environment that would help us
proclaim the Gospel of our Savior not only to those who would worship
there each week but also to the many from our community who would use this
facility. Could our new big, metal building and the furnishings serve to
tell the Story?
In determining design we first needed to agree on the
primary use of the space. For our purposes there were two options: worship
space or event space (dramas, conferences, concerts, community events).
Understanding
 this was to be worship space,
I led our team to give
consideration as to how this space could reflect our
theology. To this end, we set out to
address three facets of truth about God and his
incarnational work among us: transcendence, imminence, community. Here is
an overview of how the truths were integrated:
1) Transcendence:
God is big, other, beyond us, holy, Creator
·
Design
that lifts the eye upward, beyond ourselves
·
White,
high ceiling rather than “black box” theatre
·
Inclusion of windows for natural light
·
Attention to beauty (acoustics, surfaces, visual, natural elements)
2) Imminence: God
with us, Jesus Christ, incarnation
·
Inclusion of an “always present” Table
·
Display areas for art
·
Central presence of a cross (a custom art piece)
·
The
Bible/pulpit design
3) Community: We are
the body of Christ; called to serve/worship in community, fellowship
·
Large
foyer/gathering space
·
We
chose theatre seats, but the arm rests can be moved up to foster community
rather than isolationism or independence
·
Room
design (seating and stage) has an “in the round” feel; stage is low and
creates a warm community feel
·
Baptistery is a prominent part of the worship space
·
Audio/video/lighting/acoustics to support strong worship/singing and a
welcoming environment
I am grateful for the impact IWS is having on the body of Christ here
at Alliance. The truths learned and now implemented are enabling us to not
build a monument to our great success but to leave a legacy of space that
retells the Story of our Savior to those present and to generations who
follow.
[Click the picture above
to enlarge.
Click on this link to see additional pictures and video.]
_____________________
The Influence of IWS on Sacred Space at
Tampa Covenant Church
by Rodney Shores
Rodney Shores (D.W.S., Zeta 2005) serves as Pastor of Worship and the Arts
at
Tampa Covenant Church (Tampa, Florida), Assistant Professor of Worship
Ministries at Trinity College of Florida (New Port Richey), and director
of Voce di Vita, Le Petit Choeur, and Mannchor of the Gulf Coast Youth
Choirs (Tampa).
 In
January of 2002, I began the D.W.S. program at the Robert E. Webber Institute
for Worship Studies. By June of that year, the congregation of Tampa
Covenant Church, where I serve as Pastor of Worship and the Arts, had
decided that it was time to construct a new worship space on their
existing property. Directly influenced by the inspiration and fresh
discoveries I was gaining at IWS, particularly through Professors
Constance Cherry and Mark Torgerson in the “Music and the Arts” course,
the building committee set to work attempting to implement an architecture
and subsequent structure that would incorporate their theological
sensitivities in the physicality of the space while on a shoestring
budget.
After several months of meetings,
theological discussions, mock-ups, and brainstorming sessions, the team
realized they were getting nowhere. That’s when the miracle happened. A
couple of very humble architects began to attend worship services—Albert
Alfonso and Angel del Monte from the prestigious Alfonso Architects firm
in Ybor City, Florida. Given their passion for sacred architecture, they
soon joined the building committee, which started from scratch. The design
and building process continued simultaneously as the foundation was poured
and the cost-effective pre-fab steel framing was erected, becoming the
“box” the architects had to work with.
Needless to say, the creative genius and
financial wisdom of the gentlemen from the Alfonso firm along with the
theological detailing of the pastoral and elder staff came to fruition.
The new sanctuary was dedicated January 3, 2010.
The notes and photos that follow explain the
theological intentionality of the space, and reflect our desire for the
environment to form the gospel of Christ within the parishioners. Click on
the pictures to see the full-sized versions.
[Read more . . . ]
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 Theologian Simon Chan graced the IWS campus in June and served up a feast of liturgical theology in his seminar, The Liturgy as the
Epiphany of the Church. Having nearly lost his voice during a
demanding series of talks before coming to IWS, he spoke a bit softly the
first day, but was not deterred in presenting the full-course meal.
Audio
and print resources from the seminar are currently being edited and will
be available soon on our
Website
audio page. Photos
from the seminar are available
here.
? ? ?
Here are reactions from
two seminar participants:
 It
was truly a blessing to be on campus for the Alumni Seminar! Dr. Chan gave
us a compelling vision of God's glory in his Church, rooting us deeply in
God's Story and inspiring us as we engage in this ongoing epiphany through
liturgical theology and practice for the sake of the world. It was a time
of spiritual refreshment for me and I am looking forward to being back
again. [Kendall Hafermehl, D.W.S. 2009].
While reading Simon Chan’s Liturgical Theology, I was struck by
his
 challenge to churches about their worship: “Bad worship produces bad
theology, and bad theology produces an unhealthy church.” When I learned
that Dr. Chan was speaking at IWS I could not wait to hear him. I loved
his call for integrity in our liturgy and worship. Dr. Chan helped us
understand that worship distinguishes the Church as Church, worship
realizes the Church and worship is God’s action in the Church. The
seminar was time well spent.
[Stan Pylant, D.W.S. 2010].
_____________________
Make plans now to attend the next Alumni Seminar:
January 10-11, 2011 with
Dr. Don Davis
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January 2011 Seminar with Don Davis
The opportunity to
return to the IWS campus and be part of the community is enough to draw
most alumni to a post-grad seminar. But the desire to keep the flame of
worship renewal burning also ranks among the top reasons alumni come back
for one of these events. I
hope you can "come home to IWS" this January. And hopefully Florida will not set new low
temperatures again as was the case most of last winter!
 We
have an incredible guest lecturer for the January 2011 event. Don Davis is
reincarnating the vision of Bob Webber and nurturing ancient future
sensibilities with creativity in the urban context. His work is a shining
example of Bob's challenge to his students to work for worship renewal in
their particular setting. Author of
Sacred Roots: A Primer on Retrieving the Great Tradition, Dr. Davis is the
Vice President of Leadership Development of World Impact, Inc., and the
founder and Director of
The Urban Ministry Institute
(TUMI) in Wichita, Kansas, which is the research center for World Impact,
an interdenominational mission organization dedicated to evangelism,
discipleship, and planting churches among the unreached neighborhoods in
America's inner cities. The TUMI Web site is loaded with
useful resources.
Save the dates:
January 10-11, 2011
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Congratulations, New Graduates!
Thirty graduates
received their degrees in
the June
13 Commencement Service: seventeen D.W.S., two AGCWS, and eleven M.W.S.
See a listing of their names and thesis titles
here.
The IWS alumni association now totals 265.
David
Neff, Editor-in-Chief of the Christianity Today Media Group
offered the Commencement sermon (available
here), and he was awarded
a Doctor of Humane Letters by IWS during the service.
You may
view the Commencement worship bulletin
here.
Follow the links below to see addition
photos.
Commencement Service & June Session photos
Photos of 2010 Graduates
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Bill Cummings,
D.W.S.,
Gamma 2004, is moving to Charlotte, North Carolina where he will serve as
Director of Music and Arts Ministry at
Friendship Missionary Baptist Church.
 Bill Davis, D.W.S., Lambda 2007, writes:
"I
assume duties as Chair of the Division of Music and Worship at
The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville on July 1. BCF is a
small college owned and operated by the Florida Baptist Convention. Its
mission is preparing men and women for ministry, and offers majors in
theology, music and worship, education, and business. I am excited to be
part of the school's vision for building a strong worship and music
program."
Brent Gibson,
D.W.S., Nu 2009, reports:
I was married on January 30, 2010 to Nancy Cucheran, who has worked as a
missionary for Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) for the last 10
years in Romania. She is now working for our PAOC International Missions
Department training and nurturing missionaries. I'm teaching worship and
music as an adjunct at
Pacific Life Bible College in Surrey,
BC. I am also designing an "Executive Certificate in Worship Leadership"
for the PAOC in partnership with Trinity Western University's Center for
Ministry Excellence. It will include four courses that can be taken either
for non-credit, undergraduate credit or graduate credit. The proposed
launch is Fall 2010. Finally, I am more than halfway through an Audio
Engineering and Music Production diploma program at Harbourside Institute
of Technology in Vancouver. I'm working on setting up a music label for
the PAOC. IWS has definitely opened up many exciting ministry
opportunities.
 Mark Jonah,
D.W.S., Omicron 2009, begins a new position this fall as Assistant
Professor of Christian Ministry/Worship Arts at
LeTourneau University, Longview Texas. He writes:
The position involves designing and developing a new undergraduate major
in Worship Arts. During the first year, I will design and develop the
course work and recruit students for the program which begins in the fall
of 2011. The chance to design a worship program is a unique
opportunity. I will also be responsible for the worship teams for the
chapel services, and I will direct the University Chorus. Our oldest son
is off to university in Toronto this fall and the rest of the family is
staying in Edmonton for another year. This enables our second son to
complete high school.
Julie Janisch, D.W.S
candidate 2011.
In the previous edition, I reported
that
Julie had created a Stations of the Cross display that
featured the artwork of members of her congregation at
St. Andrew United Methodist Church in St. Albans,
VW. Since then, the Charleston Gazette published a news video. Check it
out
here.
Larry
Kochendorfer, D.W.S.,
Nu 2008, accepted a call to special service as Assistant to the Bishop,
Synod of Alberta and the Territories, Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Canada. He will assume duties on August 1 and a Service of Installation
will take place September 25 at
Ascension Lutheran in Edmonton where he has served the past 8 years.
 Bruce
Makowski,
D.W.S., Nu 2008,
reports: "I am in the process of planting an
Old Catholic Church. After 21 years of serving in the Foursquare Church, I
was ordained as a deacon on May 30 and will be ordained into the
priesthood in September. We are part of the growing
Ecumenical Catholic Church USA and will serve under Bishop Robert
Burgess of the western St. Thomas Diocese. We have about twenty people who
are committed to the work and have rented (for Sunday services) a small
former Catholic Church now called the
Canby Wedding Chapel in Canby, Oregon. Our church is charismatic,
evangelical, and sacramental as per the first seven ecumenical councils."
Matt Packer, D.W.S., Gamma 2004,
is music director this
summer for Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat through Swartz
Creek Center Stage, a community theater group. He reports: “I am music
director at the Flushing United Methodist Church, director of the
Flint Male Chorus, and serve as accompanist for the choirs and with
band and choir students during solo and ensemble at Swartz Creek Community
Schools. In addition to this, I have an active concert ministry to
churches and senior facilities (www.mattpackerlive.com).”
Barb Reid, D.W.S., Lambda 2007, reports:
"I was ordained with
American Baptist Churches USA in December 2008, and finished 7 years as
Worship Director at First Baptist Church in Dubuque, Iowa on May 11, 2010.
I am currently pursuing pastoral ministry/preaching opportunities in the
Midwest tri-state area. I continue to serve as Assistant Head of
the Nursing Department at the University of Dubuque and I also help with
the undergraduate chapel ministry."
 Karen
Roberts, D.W.S., Pi 2010,
shares: “Beginning this fall I will be teaching the Foundations of
Worship course at
North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. The course will involve
students in planning and leading some of the seminary chapels. In the
spring the course will be offered online. I am very excited about this
opportunity to engage students with the biblical, theological and
historical foundations of worship. I believe one of the reasons I was
considered for this position is that I am a graduate of IWS. Bob's work
and legacy is held in high regard at North Park. My ministry at First
Presbyterian Church in Aurora, Illinois is as Director of the
Neighborhood Arts Centre, a ministry that shares the gospel through
the arts with children and adults in our congregation and community.
We recently
added pre-school classes for children and parents,
and we are
developing a special learner's component so that we can provide support
and encouragement to families who are impacted by disabilities.”
Patricia Stromsta, D.W.S., Gamma 2004, received a M.Div. degree from Western
Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan this spring. She is
Director of Christian Education at
First Presbyterian Church in Kalamazoo, MI and a candidate for
ordination in the PCUSA.
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© 2010 The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies
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