Dr. Melva Costen was a leading voice in church music and worship, with a particular emphasis on African-American music and liturgy. She was a good friend of IWS founder Robert Webber and served faithfully on the IWS Board of Trustees for a number of years, stepping down in 2015 due to poor health. She earned...Read More
Are you comparing the cost of worship studies programs? We know that enrolling in a graduate program in worship studies is a big decision and a major investment of limited and precious resources of funds and time. But is it a worthy investment? IWS founder Bob Webber said, “Worship is the key to the renewal...Read More
There are three basic types of financial aid for graduate education: Title IV federal student loans Institutional grants and scholarships External scholarships Most of the schools on IWS’s list of competitor schools offer a combination of federal student loans andinstitutional aid. Just three, including IWS, B.H. Carroll, and New Orleans Baptist, only offer institutional aid...Read More
There are three basic types of educational delivery for graduate education: In-person/on-campus A hybrid of online and in-person intensives Fully online IWS embraces a hybrid of an online and in-person intensive model of educational delivery for graduate education. The IWS low-residency educational approach is focused on building an intentional learning community through face-to-face interaction. The...Read More
What is the essence of Christian worship and why does it matter? I would like to start with two questions: 1. Are you a chicken, or are you a pig? 2. What does that question have to do with the study of worship? I’ll come back to that a little later. Stay tuned. The famous...Read More
In recent years there has been a proliferation of higher education degrees in worship studies. But why should we study worship at all? Let me begin with an explanation of what IWS is: IWS is a school of theology, specifically emphasizing the theology of worship. But what is theology? The etymology of the word would...Read More
“I have sewn sackcloth over my skin, And laid my head in the dust.” (Job 16:15 NKJV) Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the season of Lent. God calls us to observe a holy Lent through assessment, penitence, discipline and renewal, using the classical church practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Historically, the Church...Read More
In the June 2021 Presidential Address, Jim Hart describes six key IWS initiatives being explored and assessed through the help of the Lilly Endowment's Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative.Read More
How do we make sense of, and experience the expected “Paschal joy” of Easter, especially in the days of a persisting global pandemic? What does the resurrection of Jesus mean to us in the weird and wild 21st century? For many of us, perhaps most of us, the joy of Jesus’ resurrection fades as the...Read More
Don’t view the crucifixion as an angry God bringing retribution on recalcitrant humankind. No. Rather, this is God himself, in Christ, taking on himself our dysfunction, sin and rebellion, putting it to death on the cross, and bringing this fallen world back into the intensity of the divine life. This is God himself condescending to...Read More
On February 5, we received word that the Commission on Accrediting of ATS has granted IWS initial accreditation for the MWS and DWS degrees for the maximum period of …Read More
Disruptions. They often come uninvited, even unwanted, messing with routines, expectations, livelihoods and life itself. This year the pandemic alone brought extreme and unbearable disruptions to every aspect of life, from limited family gatherings to delayed weddings, from the fatigue of Zoom meetings to the devastation of empty seats at the family table.Read More
In a world gone wrong, our world, the coming of Christ in his truth, righteousness, justice, beauty, mercy and, above all, love, radically shakes things up.Read More
In these times we are summoned thankfully to yet rejoice in the seemingly insignificant blessings of God, those blessings which tempt to pass unacknowledged and even unnoticed.Read More
A bequest is a simple way to create a legacy which generously provides for the future of IWS and demonstrates love and support for the advancement of our mission.Read More
