IWS has been a gift and strong formational influence in my life. I have never found a community of people as wise, gracious, humble, and Jesus-loving as my professors, IWS staff, and fellow students. I deeply appreciate the global student body and how ecumenical the faculty is. As someone who comes from a tradition that places a lot of emphasis on reformed theological orthodoxy, I have been impressed by how IWS has been able to celebrate diverse views of orthopraxy while still effecting worship renewal in every context. My work has been blessed and I am thankful for the network of leaders I am now connected with through my time at IWS. 

I honestly don’t know what I was thinking when I started at IWS! I think I believed that a higher academic degree would make me a better worship leader and give me more opportunities in the future. There is nothing wrong with those motivations per se, but God was up to something much deeper in my life. IWS has honestly been both the most challenging and most rewarding experience for my life as an academic learner, follower of Christ, and worship minister. I could not have imagined being stretched so much in thought and practice. The depth of the coursework changed my leadership from day one. The love and support of the faculty is beyond comparison. The time on campus, with ministry peers from around the world, has been utterly precious. The community of IWS has made a lasting impact on my life, it has reached into my soul and into my ministry context, and brought about much needed worship renewal to both places.