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The Doctor of Worship Studies degree is a unique and ground-breaking program with its entire curriculum formed around worship studies. It is designed for church leaders including worship leaders, pastors, music ministers, parish musicians, professors, worship teachers, liturgists, artists, missionaries, etc. Every course deals specifically with worship, yet integrates the classic theological disciplines as well. Students who graduate from this course of study will be able to reflect on worship through the disciplines of Scripture, history, theology and cultural analysis. All studies are geared toward the mission of the church to give witness to God’s redeeming work in the world and to fulfill the mandate of the Great Commission.
The purpose of the doctorate program is not only to educate, but to encourage spiritual formation so as to prepare the student to minister to both the minds and the hearts of God’s people. The Institute for Worship Studies will help you:
New DWS students are evaluated concerning their competency in scriptural knowledge and application. Some applicants may need to complete additional work in this area based upon their Master’s level work or pass a placement exam. Should previously completed work lack biblical, theological, and hermeneutical foundations and the doctoral student receives less than 80% on the placement exam, the doctoral student will be required to matriculate in IWS courses BIB 501 A & B. These courses will be taken in order to meet the additional requirements and are six weeks in length. The first of these courses, BIB 501(A), is completed six weeks prior to the on campus session while BIB 501(B) is taken concurrently with DWS 701.
Andrew E. Hill, Ph.D., and Alan Rathe, Ph.D., 6 credit hours.
Beginning with a study of the theology, institutions and practice of worship in Scripture, this course explores the ways in which biblical models can inspire worship renewal today.
The biblical foundations topics include: biblical worship and its theological foundations, the practice of worship as reported in the Old and New Testaments, the relationship between spirituality and corporate worship, the concepts of sacred time and sacred space, the Psalms in Hebrew and Christian worship, worship as spiritual warfare, and the Hebrew roots of Christian worship. The historical side of the course surveys Christian worship through the centuries in both the Eastern and Western Churches and historical shifts in how Christian people have understood God, the church, salvation and the church-culture intersection with respect to worship.
Constance M. Cherry, D.Min., and Jeff Barker, M.F.A., 6 credit hours.
Corporate worship of the triune God is the central, ongoing occupation of the Christian community. Yet worship is always offered in changing times, places and cultural contexts. Therefore worship renewal that is grounded in sound theological reflection is often necessary. This is especially true today as churches seek to take into consideration the shift into a postmodern world.
This course explores how the content, form, and styles of worship are enlivened through intentional worship design and the expression of the arts. Special attention is given to the ministries of music, the performing arts and the fine arts.
Daniel L. Sharp, D.M.A., and Jack Van Marion, D. Min., 6 credit hours.
This course focuses on the way the church celebrates the mighty acts of God in Jesus Christ through the observance of the Christian year. It deals with services of worship for the seasons of the Christian year, from Advent through Pentecost, and also addresses ordinary time and the daily office of prayer. Special emphasis is placed on the evangelical nature of the Christian year and on planning services that adopt the ancient traditions to current practice. Because the study of the Christian year inevitably leads to the Scriptures, this course guides students through the biblical and theological significance of each season, including the sanctoral cycle.
Reggie Kidd, Ph.D., and Amy Davis Abdallah, Ph.D., 6 credit hours.
This course explores the sacred actions of worship, particularly baptism and Holy Communion, from biblical and historical perspectives. It also addresses the relationship of these two actions with Christian formation and pastoral care.
Kent Walters, D.W.S., 2 credit hours total.
The Practicum Course is designed to enable students to explore and apply principles of worship renewal that correspond with their current course of study. Briefly, worship renewal is the recovering of biblical worship that recognizes the triune God as the subject of worship and leads the worshiper in appropriate response to God’s divine action in worship. The practicum experience allows students to focus purposefully and creatively on areas of worship renewal addressed in their classes and in their places of ministry.
Students collaborate to plan and lead the IWS community in worship on Friday, Monday and Tuesday evenings of each on-campus session. Following the 702P and 703P worship segments, fellow students and members of the faculty offer feedback for the purpose of celebrating and reinforcing the worship values that shape biblical worship and facilitate genuine worship renewal. Students receive a grade of pass or fail for the course, and must complete each course concurrently with the corresponding course in the DWS curriculum.
Vaughn CroweTipton, Ph.D., and Jessica Jones, Ph.D., D.W.S., 8 credit hours.
The on-campus section of this class provides specific direction on how to write a thesis or prepare a project. Guidance is given on the specific nature of the proposal and the means by which a proposal is translated into a finished project. Special attention is given to the integration of the theological disciplines into thesis/project writing. Classroom time takes place on campus during the session following the completion of DWS 704.
Students then complete their thesis or professional project at their home site under the direction of a supervisor. They are encouraged to do a thesis/project that is integrated with their ministry. The method of doing a thesis follows the same pattern and expectation of the D.Min. thesis standards in seminary education.
Initially, one year is alotted for thesis completion. Beginning with the January 2023 module, this course will incorporate an oral presentation of the student’s thesis as part of the approval process. Presentations will be conducted virtually.
Melody Kuphal, D.W.S., 2 credit hours.
This course guides the student through researching and writing graduate level papers, particularly in the discipline of worship studies. WR 701 is offered in a completely online, six-week format. The beginning date is six weeks prior to the on campus intensive.