The second of the three great Lenten practices is fasting. A few weeks ago IWS Director of Outreach Maureen Roe wrote an article that called us to the Lenten discipline of increased prayer, prayer that forms us into Christlikeness and increases our own compassion for the corporal and spiritual needs of those we encounter. This...Read More
The Institute for Worship Studies is sad to announce the death of IWS professor emerita Dr. Doris Borchert. Dr. Borchert was the first professor of the MWS internship class, MWS 601, and taught that class from 2004 to 2011. Under her leadership, the internship class received a commendation from IWS’ accrediting association regarding its rigor and...Read More
As the Bread of Heaven, that we might be fed,Chose a manger cradle in the House of Bread,So has Life Eternal mingled in the wombWith our mortal nature to confound the tomb.For this swaddled infant in a humble place,Holds our hope of glory and our means of grace;In the love enfleshed here dawns the world’s...Read More
“How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” — Psalm 13: 1 (ESV) “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in...Read More
“Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stall, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will exult in...Read More
The Institute for Worship Studies is sad to announce the death of IWS alumnus, Dr. Vernon Charter, DWS ’11 (Rho). He was Professor Emeritus of Music and Worship at Prairie College in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada, where he had served for 27 years. Born in China to missionary parents he earned degrees in historical musicology...Read More
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
