Worship program retools to better equip students for ministry careers
Worship arts program provides students a balance of biblical and musical knowledge for future careers.
Anna Moseley |
Gill combined his experiences as a professor and as a worship minister to reshape the worship arts program.
With the explosion of the art of worship, the demand for worship artists and leaders has increased immensely.
In order to fill that need, Lipscomb’s George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts, led by Randy Gill, assistant dean in the college, has developed a new program curriculum for the worship arts major to equip students for a successful career in ministry once they graduate.
With over 40 years of experience in higher education, music and worship ministry, Gill’s expertise is driving the program in a new direction.
“We are shifting the focus of worship arts to better reflect the times. Most ministry majors are not bible majors who like to sing, they are musicians who have a heart for worship,” said Gill, who joined the college faculty in December. “Our goal is not to advocate a particular style of worship but to prepare our graduates to work effectively in whatever setting they choose to pursue.”
After analyzing 25 of the top worship ministry programs across the nation, Gill and other Lipscomb faculty, restructured the program and incorporated courses such as the “Complete Worship Leader,” “Worship Design” and “Spiritual Formation in Ministry among others.
“We now have courses that cover a more dynamic range of worship arts,” said Gill, who served as worship and creative arts minister at Otter Creek Church in Brentwood, Tennessee, before coming to Lipscomb. “In addition to the courses, each worship arts major will have the chance to work for one semester on the technical team of a local church and intern under a current worship minister.”
Gill said the worship arts degree is designed for students with dreams of becoming a worship minister in a church, touring artist, worship songwriter or who wish to be part of the team that helps with the technical aspect of worship gatherings.
This program will facilitate opportunities for students to learn from professionals in the worship arts industry and will provide them with experiences that will be a platform for them to begin their careers in worship.
“One of the opportunities that students will have every semester is the Worship Arts Forum,” said Gill. “Since we have access to so many professionals in Nashville, we can bring those professional in and students can learn from them.”
This allows students to sit at the feet of well known and highly respected worship leaders and artists and learn from their journeys, Gill said. Because this program is located in Nashville, it allows connections and proximity to recording studios and record labels as well.
“People want to come to Nashville because so much worship music comes from here. This is where the recordings are made, where the publishers are, and students who come to Lipscomb can tap into all of that.”
Interested in pursuing a degree in worship arts? Contact Randy Gill at randy.gill [at] lipscomb.edu (randy[dot]gill[at]lipscomb[dot]edu) or at 615.30.4455, for more information
Learn more about the worship arts major and the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts.