President’s Messages

IWS alumnus Dr. Mike Wiebe died yesterday (Easter) after a courageous battle with cancer. He was a member of the Delta class. Mike’s doctoral thesis topic was the healing presence of Christ in Communion. Here is a quote from his thesis abstract: “From the gospel accounts of Jesus and the [...]

Before the day had run its course, The sun began to fail in force. The silent stars began to weep, A tremor shook the hidden deep. Above the darkened earth was raised The Son whose arms like wings were poised, Who then, as on the first of days Breathed forth [...]

The ethos of IWS is as strong if not stronger than ever! Thanks be to God.

He has shown strength with his arm;     he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones     and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things,  and the rich he has sent away empty. Luke [...]

We at the Institute for Worship Studies are so thankful for the Lord’s bountiful blessings during this past year, and for your support of our crucial mission of forming servant leaders through Christian worship renewal.

Let us gratefully rejoice that God supports, encourages and loves all of us, whether we are in want or in plenty, and he faithfully makes us tread on high places of hope and courage.

When the transaction of education supersedes the spiritual transformation of the individual, when acquiring knowledge supplants gaining wisdom, and when the fear of the Lord is absent from the focus and goal of learning, higher education institutions risk losing their purpose for being and their integrity.

Due to the faithful blessing of the Lord and your faithful and generous support and advocacy, this past fiscal year has again been a remarkable year of achievement, even exceeding the record setting gains of last year.

Dear Students, Alumni, Faculty, and Friends of IWS, On Wednesday morning, July 18, the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies is hosting a complimentary breakfast at Church of the Resurrection for all National Worship Leader Conference participants who would like to learn more about us. IWS is the only [...]

The final installment of IWS President Jim hart’s interview on the Provoked to Newness podcast addresses several possible trends or future considerations in the areas of Christian worship and higher education, the consumer orientation of the North American church, the need to change how worship studies are applied, the importance [...]

Audio files from the June 2012 Session.

In this third of four episodes, Jim discusses the intentionality behind IWS’s mission statement, the definitions of worship and Christian renewal, the value of Biblical, historical, and cultural grounding in renewal, the challenges of taking different cultural groundings into account within IWS’s context and the realities that many students face [...]

In this second installment of IWS President Jim Hart’s interview for the Provoked to Newness podcast, Jim talks about what it felt like to become president of IWS, special memories of Robert E. Webber (his friend and predecessor), Bob’s tendency to listen and ask questions, Bob’s influence in the lives [...]

IWS President Jim hart was recently interviewed for the Provoked to Newness podcast. In this first of four episodes you can hear Jim talk about his academic and professional background, some big changes he’s experienced throughout his life, how he became involved with IWS, the school’s impact on him, and [...]

Greetings from the President, a reflection on the Beatitudes, and updates on all the goings-on around IWS.