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Join us for the next Intensive Week Session:

June 19-26, 2024

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Earn a master’s or doctorate degree in worship studies from IWS and experience servant leadership in transformative worship.

Do you long to think more deeply, purposefully, and formationally about your own tradition’s approach to worship? Do you desire to understand worship from a biblical and theological perspective? Do you feel unprepared to apply principles of worship in an applicable and practical way to your congregation each week? Do you need a community of like-minded worship leaders to pray and have fellowship with?

At The Institute for Worship Studies, you will accumulate more than mere head knowledge and a graduate degree in worship — you will apply what you learn in the classroom within your own ministry context and develop lifelong friendships that encourage and inspire you in your own relationship with Jesus Christ as you lead others in Christian worship.

IWS offers two worship graduate degree programs, the Master of Worship Studies (MWS) and the Doctor of Worship Studies (DWS), and two non-degree certificate programs that are grounded in biblical theology. Courses are offered through a hybrid of on-campus intensives and distance learning to offer both a deep sense of connection among our community along with the convenience of online learning.

Worship Seminar on the IWS Campus

IWS Faculty Perspectives on Transformative Worship

Monday, June 24 & Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Just like being in the classroom again at IWS — or a great opportunity to see firsthand what everyone is talking about: the life-changing, ruinous experience called IWS!

The seminar will include eight stimulating sessions over two days on topics of worship renewal taught by members of the IWS faculty and will take place live and in person during our summer on-campus intensive.

More Details & Registration

Announcing IWS's Acting President & Provost

The IWS Board of Trustees has announced the following appointments, which are currently in place as they seek to fill the role of President:
The Rev. Dr. Constance Cherry is serving as Acting President. Dr. Cherry is well-known to the IWS community, having taught DWS 702 since the founding of IWS. She is a popular conference and workshop speaker whose well-regarded book, The Worship Architect, is now in its second edition. She brings to this role a deep and significant history with Bob Webber and IWS and a commitment to seeing IWS bring glory to God through the fulfillment of its mission and vision. 
 
Dr. Dinelle Frankland is serving as the Acting Provost of IWS. In this role, she oversees day-to-day operations of the Institute, including faculty and most staff. She will continue to serve as Academic Dean. Dr. Frankland is the author of His Story, Our Response: What the Bible Says about Worship. She has served as Academic Dean at IWS since 2017, overseeing the faculty, and teaches MWS 501, the first course in the MWS program. As a member of the Delta class, she, too, is deeply committed to seeing God glorified through the ministry of IWS in a manner consistent with Bob Webber’s vision.
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Why IWS?

More and more worship leaders, professors of church music, music ministers, and pastors realize there is a gap in their education.

They have the music education and the skills for music and worship leadership, but they lack the knowledge of the biblical foundations, historical development, theological reflection, formational content, and cultural analysis for effective worship ministry in today’s world.

IWS was founded by Robert E. Webber to meet this need and prepare leaders for the challenging task of worship ministry in a complex and rapidly changing world.

We’re glad you’ve found your way here. We hope we can impact your ministry and explore worship transformation together! 

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Mission

The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies forms servant leaders in Christian worship renewal and education through graduate academic praxis, grounded in biblical, historical, theological, formational, cultural and missiological reflection in community.

Vision

IWS graduates will be academically and spiritually formed servant leaders who participate intentionally in the story of the Triune God, fostering renewal in the local and global church by shaping life and ministry according to the fullness of that story.

Values

We are committed the unity of all knowledge of God’s story in history and in ministry as applied theology. We do not sever ministry from God’s story, but situate it in God’s story through reflection in the biblical, historical, theological, formational, cultural and missiological disciplines. We seek therefore to form all ministry by the Divine Narrative.

Education & Community

At IWS, you will meet other Christian leaders and teachers who share your same visions, passions, struggles, and questions. We value providing an environment that fosters and nurtures relationships over shared meals, morning chapel sessions, and evening worship workshops during the campus sessions. We are a community that prays, studies, and grows together.