From the Editor: Faithful Living and Fruitful Service

By Kent Walters, D.W.S.

Kent WaltersFrom the classroom to conversations around the table at mealtime, IWS has been the source of countless  resources, creative ideas and inspiration for ministry. It was true from day one in June 1999 and continues today. One of my priorities is to extend resources to the IWS community. It is especially important that our alumni are richly resourced and encouraged to faithful living and abundantly fruitful service.

This edition includes a good dose of inspiration in the form of articles, stories and news, including a feature on Robert Webber that introduces the personal side of Bob to those who never met him.

The June 2016 Session, our second on the Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church campus, generated numerous media resources that you need to be aware of. Here is a linked list:

June 2016 Videos. This is your one-click source to access the Chapel Series, Presidential Address, and three Scripture presentations. Here are the individual links:

Chapel Series: Cosmos Alive, Chaplain Darrell Harris (includes video and audio files)
Presidential Address: The Good News Is the Resurrection [3:11 clip]
Convocation Scripture Presentation: Dr. Alan Rathe (Heb 12:18-29)
Convocation Scripture Presentation: Dr. Jack Van Marion and students (Lk 24:13-35)
Commencement Scripture Presentation: Darla Robinson, D.W.S., 2016 (Is 6:1-8)
Commencement Sermon: Rev. Dr. Dennis K. Andrews, CDR, USN (Command Chaplain at Naval Air Station Jacksonville Base Chapel)
Healing Eucharist Sermon: “Healing for the Battle” (Stephen Hasper, D.W.S. candidate)

Dr. Christine Pohl Seminar: Cultivating Community (audio files of the sessions and video clips on selected topics)

This sample clip is on Broken Promises and Betrayal [2:54]. “As leaders and communities we are ever in need of finding ways to redeem broken promises and betrayals and help people recover from failures of commitment” (Christine Pohl).

Commencement Service 2016 DVD

June 2016 Session Worship Bulletins

IWS Bibliography (Updated June 2016)

IWS Thesis Collection (Updated June 2016)

Additional IWS videos are available on the IWS YouTube Channel.

Don’t miss the weekly posts on the IWS Facebook timeline. There is something fresh every week like the Webber Quote of the Week on Mondays, #WebberWednesday, #FacultyFriday, and other inspirational posts.

Here is a memorable Scripture presentation from a January 2016 chapel.

One of the best ways to be personally renewed and resourced for ministry is to return to IWS for a Worship Seminar. This January we are privileged to welcome back Dr. Gerald Borchert, Professor Emeritus and recently retired IWS Trustee, to teach our January 9-10, 2017 seminar: The Portraits of Jesus: Models for Worship and Mission Renewal. See the article below for more details.

A hearty word of congratulations to our alumni who generously participated in our annual Scholarship Fund Class Challenge. The Alpha Class won the Class Participation category with 61% involvement. The Upsilon Class won the Highest Total Contributions category raising $8000. We were able to raise over $70,000 in scholarship and grant funds this year. Thanks be to God! Our students say thank you in this video:

Hopefully, this edition of Anamnesis will, in some measure, encourage and equip you for faithful living and fruitful service for the Kingdom.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him,
he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you
that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name,
he may give it to you (Jn 15:5, 16 ESV).

The Lord be with you!

President’s Column: The Story of God in Worship

By James R. Hart, D.W.S.

Dr. James HartIn a recent Presidential Address at IWS I stated, “According to the Church Fathers . . . God condescended to us in the incarnation, so we could fully participate in the divine nature. Or, more simply, God became human so humans could become God. In right worship, we become divinized; we grow in Christ-likeness, or godliness.”

This comment led to some lively conversation among students and faculty. Subsequently I spent some time with this idea, that God became human so humans could become God, and it led me to a few questions: What is the gospel, the story of God? Related to that, what is salvation? What are we saved from and saved to? And, what does worship have to do with this? [Keep reading . . .]

Robert Webber Column: Worship and the Cosmic Drama

By Robert E. Webber, Th.D. (1933-2007)

IWS Founder, Dr. Robert E. WebberBob Webber was born in Congo of missionary parents, and was raised in the Philadelphia area. From 1968 to 2000 he served as Professor of Theology at Wheaton College, and was named Professor Emeritus upon his retirement in 2000. He was appointed William R. and Geraldine D. Myers Professor of Ministry and Director of the M.A. in Worship and Spirituality at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in the fall of 2000. He founded The Institute for Worship Studies in 1998.

One of the great tragedies of the Enlightenment era is that the Bible, God’s story, has been turned into a book of propositional statements. The modern method of learning is to set forth facts and then seek to prove those facts by reason and science. So we turned the elements of God’s story into factual statements that we set out to prove. This intellectual Christianity spawned many expressions including intellectual worship. Intellectual worship is “to gather the people, do the preliminaries and get to what we’re really here for—biblical facts presented by the sermon.”

Another great tragedy of the Enlightenment era was the Romantic movement of the nineteenth century. It opposed factualism and claimed truth was known in feeling, in intuition, in emotion. This view spawned a “feeling faith” and a worship that said, “gather the people, sing and get emotional then preach an emotional sermon and give an emotional invitation.”

These two tragedies and their worship results—intellectual worship and emotional worship—spawned a new worship in the late twentieth century: contemporary worship. This combined “feeling” and “intellect”; it “feels God in the music” and “knows God in the teaching.” So worship gathers the people to sing and learn.

Biblical worship is really none of the above.  [Continue reading . . . ]

Alumni Focus: Mark Jonah’s Journey of Faith

Mark Jonah, D.W.S. (Omicron 2009), has been on a challenging journey this past year. Many of you prayed for him. His story is a reminder that we must walk by faith, not by sight, while fixing our eyes on Jesus (2 Co 5:7; Heb 12:1-2).

Dr. Mark JonahAll Saints’ Day, 2015 is a day I will not soon forget. I woke up not feeling well that Sunday morning. I contacted the pastor of the church where I was helping lead worship and told him I would not be there. I had the flu. Or so I thought. Over the next several days I would go through periods of feeling better and then feeling worse. On Thursday, I was much worse and I decided to go to a medical clinic. When it came time for me to sign the medical papers I told my wife, “I see the paper but I can’t see where I’m supposed to sign.” After a short visit with the doctor, he sent us to the emergency room at one of the local hospitals where I ended up staying until after Christmas. [Continue reading . . . ]

Alumni News and  Stories

How grateful we are for the increasingly significant impact of IWS students and graduates around the world! The following updates from alumni provide a taste of the broad reach of Bob Webber’s legacy through the school he founded.

Craig Gilbert, D.W.S. (Kappa 2007)

Craig is a speaker, consultant and the founder of TheWorshipDoctor.com ministries. He created a training series for worship renewal: A Purposed Heart for the Purpose of Worship. While a student at IWS, Craig interviewed Bob Webber, just months before our founder’s death, on the topic of Church Music for the 21st Century. Check out Craig’s Reason2Race testimony. Hear Craig on developing Congregational Participation. Like so many others, Craig’s doctoral thesis had a significant impact on his life and ministry. Click on the IWS video below.


David Manner
, D.W.S. (Xi 2009)

David wins the award this month in the category Best Use of Oxymoron in a Title for his August 8 blog post, “Scriptureless Worship.” Way to go, David! The subtitle informs the less discerning: “A worship service without the reading of Scripture may not be worship at all.” It is a great article, by the way. Check it out. David serves as the Associate Executive Director for Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists with responsibilities in the areas of worship, leadership and administration. He regularly posts to his blog, Worship Evaluation: Asking the Right Questions to Encourage Worship Renewal.

Todd Marshall, M.W.S. (Qof 2016)

ToddBrendaMarshallTodd had served for 13 years as full-time Worship Pastor in a church. But three years ago the Lord called him and his wife Brenda to bring worship renewal to congregations across the country through Worship Weekends, worship leading and worship coaching as part of their ministry Worship Is Life. Todd’s book, Worship Is Life: Finding Our Identity in the Story of Worship, was published in February. He was recently appointed the Minnesota Assemblies of God District Worship Arts Director.

Jeremy Perigo, D.W.S. (Chi 2013)

Along with his work as Director of Music & Worship Programmes at London School of Theology, Jeremy is the Middle East Coordinator for Burn 24-7. Look what is happening in Turkey. Check out the video.

Rebekah TenHaken, M.W.S. (Ayin 2015)

Rebekah TenHakenRebekah shares, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps” (Pro 16:9). It is easier to believe this verse in some seasons of life than in others. After walking through a season of pain, confusion, and loss—a wilderness of the soul—God has revealed yet again that His ways are perfect and that he establishes our steps. By his grace, God has lead me to a new position as Worship Team Manager at Saddleback Church in California. This is a new position and comes with a lot of exciting possibilities. I will serve as a facilitator, overseer, and shepherd on the team. I will be working directly with the Global Worship Pastor who oversees worship for all of the Saddleback campuses (domestic and internationally). I enter this new and exciting season recognizing that “I can do no good apart from Him” (Jn 15:5). If you are currently in a dark or confusing season, I pray you will press into the God of hope believing that dawn will indeed come again.

Who Was Bob Webber?

Bob_HealingServiceNot long ago, most students came to IWS because they knew Bob Webber, had heard him speak, or read his books. Personal contact with Bob was memorable and often life-changing. Now, 9 years after his death, most students come to IWS because of personal contact with our alumni, all of them influenced by the life and teaching of Bob Webber.

For those of you who didn’t have the privilege of meeting him, here are personal stories and tributes from Darrell Harris, Andrew Hill, Jonathan Powers, Constance Cherry, Pres. Jim Hart, and Chris Brewer, as well as several links, which reveal the personal side Bob Webber, the man who envisioned, founded and led IWS, and whose legacy continues in the lives of those he so profoundly influenced. [Continue reading . . . ]

Christine Pohl Seminar Reflections

“My recent time with the IWS Worship Seminar was delightful and enriching” (Christine Pohl, June 2016).

Christine PohlDr. Pohl, Associate Provost and Professor of Christian Ethics at Asbury Theological Seminary, is particularly knowledgeable in the area of healthy (and not so healthy) communities of faith. Her two-day seminar, Cultivating Community and Worship: Practices that Define and Sustain Us, was held June 13-14, 2016, on the campus of IWS. Cultivating Christian community is not easy, but it is absolutely vital. Dr. Pohl gave inspirational and practical tools for renewing communities  wounded by deformations like grumbling, broken promises and betrayal. Attendees were grateful and generous in their response to Pohl’s teaching and the seminar as a whole. You may access media from this seminar.

Read what Dr. Pohl thinks about IWS after being on campus and view a short video clip from the seminar. Also, Lou Kaloger (D.W.S. 2015) and Jennifer Harris Clayton (D.W.S. 2015) share testimonies of their experience on the new IWS campus for the alumni seminar event. [Continue reading . . . ]

Pohl Seminar resources:
Seminar event photo gallery
Seminar media (audio files and video clips)

Congratulations 2016 Graduates!

2016 Graduates with Pres. HartIWS celebrated its largest graduating class—46 (29 DWS and 17 MWS)—at our 15th Commencement Service on Sunday, June 12, 2016, at Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. IWS has conferred 493 degrees to 473 students. 20 persons have received both MWS and DWS degrees.

The Commencement sermon was delivered by the Rev’d Dr. Dennis Andrews, DCR, USN, Command Chaplain at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville. Darla Robinson (D.W.S. 2016) presented the OT reading (Is 6:1-8) accompanied by the IWS Festival Choir. See the Commencement bulletin. A DVD of the entire Commencement service is also available.

Click on the photos below to see the full-size version. For additional photos of Commencement and the graduates, follow this link: 2016 Graduates Photo Gallery.

Imagine hearing Robert Webber address the graduating class! Well, here are two such addresses—one to the Alpha class at the first Commencement service in June 2002 and one to the fourth graduating class in June 2005. Every graduate will want to hear his inspiring words! Bob was a firm believer in short commencement addresses. True to form, both of these addresses are under 10 minutes!

Commencement Address, Robert Webber (2002)

“God is not calling you to greatness, but to faithfulness and servanthood. . . . Find yourself by losing yourself in the mission of God to rescue and save the entire created order” (Robert Webber, 2002). [Download, 9:30]

Commencement Address, Robert Webber (2005)

“Worship is an embodied life, living in obedience to God” (Robert Webber, 2005). [Download, 9:29]

FIRSTHAND: From Our 2016 Graduates


Brad Bradford
, D.W.S. (Delta 2, 2016 )
Worship Pastor, Shalimar United Methodist Church, Shalimar, FL

Dr. Brad BradfordWhile attending IWS, we were frequently asked, “How is the DWS program contributing to your personal and spiritual growth?” As a result of this program, I have a deeper appreciation for my brothers and sisters in other faith traditions. Prior to IWS, my ministry experience for 30 years was in Southern Baptist churches. Working with my cohort at IWS allowed me to see God’s work in and through every aspect of the family of faith, and to appreciate so many different expressions and nationalities as we learned and worked together. The demands of the program helped me grow spiritually into a deeper life of discipleship. Studying worship allowed me to grow in my worship life which continues to form me as a follower of Christ.

Karen Hetrick, D.W.S. (Epsilon 2, 2016)
Director of Music Ministries, Mt. Auburn United Methodist Church, Greenwood, IN

In June 2014, Chaplain Darrell Harris introduced the IWS community to a chapel series on “The Ruinous Work of Pentecost.” During the final chapel service, he told us, “I hope it has been a ruinous week for you.” Dr. Karen HetrickIt was indeed, as were all the sessions which comprised my time in the D.W.S. program. The IWS experience has ruined me. I will never see worship the same, both as a participant and a leader, including how I receive and present Scripture. Professors ruined my previously limited capacity for worship with the richness of the divine narrative and its applications. My classmates have showered me with a ruinous abundance of grace. A colleague recently told me, “You have ruined worship for the rest of us.” I took that statement as the compliment she meant it to be. I eagerly anticipate the continued ruinous work of the Holy Spirit within me and through me in this ministry of worship.

LaVerne Kumeh, M.W.S. (Pe, 2016)

LaVerne KumehRecently, I was appointed to my church’s newly-formed Worship Leaders Team.  We are using The Worship Architect by Dr. Cherry as an anchor for our discussions.  The team’s charge is to review current worship practices, recommend changes and plan future services.  No doubt, this appointment is a result of my IWS experience, which culminated in a multicultural worship service I planned  as part of my internship. IWS shaped me to be a knowledgeable contributor to my church’s worship discussions and an effective planner for our services.

January 2017 Worship Seminar with Jerry Borchert

Dr. Gerald BorchertYes, it’s true! Dr. Gerald Borchert, IWS Professor Emeritus, has agreed to return to IWS in one more official capacity. He served with distinction on the faculty for many years as our Thesis Director, and is recently retired from his valuable service on the Board of Trustees.  Alumni were impacted by Jerry’s teaching and mentoring in the thesis process. His lifetime of scholarship, teaching and leading tours to the Holy Land and the Mediterranean world make him a rich reservoir of wisdom and practical knowledge. We’re blessed to have this opportunity to be under his teaching.

The January 9-10, 2017 seminar, The Portraits of Jesus: Models for Worship and Mission Renewal, will be based on Jerry’s forthcoming book, The Portraits of Jesus and the New Illiteracy (Smyth & Helwys). The article below introduces the book. The seminar will explore the implications of understanding the crucial New Testament portraits of Jesus as models for re-envisioning and renewing worship and mission in congregations. The increase of biblical illiteracy in churches today demands our attention. It challenges Christians to rediscover the centrality of Jesus in the biblical narrative, to recognize the many facets of this Jesus who is Lord in the biblical portraits, to re-imagine those portraits as clues for developing authentically integrative patterns of worship and life, and to redeploy them as paradigms for renewal of both worship and service in order to impact present and future ministries of the Christian Church.

Additional details about the seminar will be published this fall. Watch for the early registration discount. Save the dates for a winter excursion to sunny Florida! January 9-10, 2017.

The Portraits of Jesus and the New Illiteracy: Introduction and Overview

By Gerald Borchert, Ph.D.

Gerald BorchertMy newest book, The Portraits of Jesus and the New Illiteracy (Smyth & Helwys, forthcoming in January 2017), grows out of a series of lectures which I delivered at a Methodist Conference Retreat for pastors and other ministers. The subject at that time was communicating the message of Jesus in an age of biblical illiteracy. Because of the response, I have expanded the earlier lectures into a book which is designed for Christian leaders and seminary students. It is concerned about the adequate communication to parishioners of the Christian gospel as it touches people who are not well-versed in the messages and implications of the New Testament.

The writing of this work has been an exciting one for me as I have sought to put my years of teaching the NT as well as practical theology (e.g., worship, homiletics, counseling) into a helpful synthesis so that the Gerald Borchertmultiple perspectives of the NT can become more clearly perceived by contemporary readers. I have been concerned that many of my theology students have a very truncated understanding of the New Testament. And I have found that a number of ministers wrestle with related problems so that much teaching in our faith communities is more in the form of sound bites and often lacks an adequate contextual framework for communicating the full implications of the messages. Understanding the framework of the biblical books is essential to adequate application and appropriation.  [Continue reading . . . ]

 

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About the author

Alumni Director, Practicum Professor, and DWS graduate.

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