Worship Is More Than We Ever Imagined.
THE ESSENTIALS COURSE is today’s most innovative online university training for today’s 21st century worship leader, worship pastor, artist, pastor and worshipper.
THE ESSENTIALS ONLINE COURSE is a powerful journey into the heart of worship theology and worldview (BLUE), worship history and creativity (RED) and worship values and spiritual formation (GREEN).
Brought to you by a team led by internationally respected artist, communicator and worship leader DAN WILT, M.MIN., Director of The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies at St. Stephen’s University.
HOW WILL THE ESSENTIALS COURSE BENEFIT ME?
- GAIN an exciting, fresh vision of the God we worship.
- CREATE your own materials for training others to understand worship.
- ENRICH your spiritual life and leadership as a worship influencer.
- DEEPEN your perspective on worship with an international class.
- STUDY anywhere you happen to be - no need to stay at home!
- CRAFT songs and other worship tools in each module.
- RECEIVE A CERTIFICATE in Worship Studies (digital format - university only)
ESSENTIALS MODULES - Blue, Red and Green - can be taken all together, or a la carte! Each module can be taken as a seminar course (less expensive and without university credit), or as a module of the full course (with university credit). Tuition varies based on this. We recommend that participants take all 3 modules, as a seminar or as the full ESSENTIALS COURSE.
The ESSENTIALS COURSE draws on our distinct passion to train creative leaders:
- to think biblically, historically, creatively and culturally about worship
- to draw from the riches of the ancient past to engage our present and future
- to creatively and uniquely speak into a postmodern world
With over 3000 worship leaders, artists, pastors, and worshippers through our programs and conferences, from over 15 countries, the INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY AND EMERGING WORSHIP STUDIES at St. Stephen’s University (New Brunswick, Canada) is working hard to influence today’s - and tomorrow’s - worship influencers.
THE ESSENTIALS COURSE is a 15 week, media-based online university course (taken for credit or as a seminar) designed specifically to engage today’s worshipper and leader in essential ideas for our 21st century worship understanding. Each 5 week module (blue, red and green) is a “short-course,” designed to introduce the participant to key concepts and insights related to worship and its expression in a postmodern world.
See this SNAPSHOT to see how it works.
You’ll study the arts of worship theology, history, creativity, spiritual formation and values with internationally respected worship leader Dan Wilt, M.Min., with media from N.T. Wright, Robert Webber, Matt Redman, Brian Doerksen and others. Via books like Simply Christian, Ancient-Future Time and Essentials In Worship, take the adventure of a lifetime into the essence of the worship story.
WHEN
ESSENTIALS BLUE, RED AND GREEN are offered all year long. Sign up for a module, and choose the dates you’d like to participate. In fact, if you are a leader of a local, regional or national worship community, let us know and we’ll consider offering special module sessions just for your group.
WHO IS IT FOR?
Worship leaders, worship musicians, pastors, artists, small group leaders and worshippers
HOW MUCH TIME IT WILL TAKE
Approx. 1 hr./day (Approx. 6 hrs. or less per wk.!), for 5 weeks (each module)
TUITION
Non-university credit
Essentials Individual Module - Blue, Red or Green (5 week module only): only $99 USD
FULL ESSENTIALS SEMINAR (15 weeks, Blue/Red/Green): only $149 USD
For university credit
Essentials Individual Module (5 week module for university credit): $249 USD
FULL ESSENTIALS COURSE (15 weeks, Blue/Red/Green for univ. credit): only $599 USD
HOW DO I REGISTER?
Click below, fill in the form, and then pay via PayPal. It’s that simple.
Courses take place using ITUNES U, FACEBOOK, BLOGS and other web technologies as well as additional material from books, CDs and DVDs.
During the first four weeks of each module participants WATCH VIDEOS, listen to AUDIO and read BOOKS and ARTICLES related to the course. Participants then POST their responses to weekly questions on their modules Facebook classroom and blog. Instructors and classmates INTERACT with each other’s posts as each week unfolds.
During the final week of each module, participants work on a CREATIVE PROJECT which draws from material covered in the course with the goal of being practically used in local and/or global church communities. Opening and closing WEB CONFERENCE CALLS bookend each course.
Because our participants are from various parts of the globe, we always leave at least a couple of days between assignment due dates so that the course can fit into various schedules. Courses require only about 6-8 hours per week to complete while allowing for “regular life” to continue.
Discussions in the classroom site further enhance the peer-group learning environment.
Participants can do coursework from their home desktop, in an armchair, on a beach or while fixing the plumbing – THE ESSENTIALS COURSE is built to work for you.
- Learn More About Essentials Blue: Foundational theology for worship today.
- Learn More About Essentials Red: Ancient ideas for worship today.
- Learn More About Essentials Green: Values formation for worship today.
WHAT FRIENDS ARE SAYING:
“I love Dan’s passion for worship and enthusiasm to train and equip others. He is a gifted communicator and has inspired many worship leaders over the years. Here is a man who is living to make God’s praise glorious.” Tim Hughes (Here I Am To Worship)
“Dan Wilt has a clear vision of what the church needs to recapture and deepen in worship. He is a gifted communicator and leader. I have known Dan for over ten years and I heartily recommend Dan and his Worship Institute to you!” Brian Doerksen (Come, Now Is The Time)
“It should be illegal to be a worship leader without doing this course! I wish I could have had this exposure 20 years ago!” Jamie Appleton (Essentials Blue, WL, Texas, USA)
DATES FOR 2009
SPRING
Jan 9 - Feb 11 (Blue)
Feb 13 - Mar 18 (Red)
Mar 20 - Apr 22 (Green)
SUMMER
May 1 - June 3 (Blue)
June 5 - July 8 (Red)
July 10 - Aug 12 (Green)
FALL
Aug 28 - Sept 30 (Blue)
Oct 2 - Nov 4 (Red)
Nov 6 - Dec 9 (Green)
CLICK HERE TO START THE ESSENTIALS JOURNEY TODAY.
*By university credit, we mean the following.
All participants in The ESSENTIALS COURSE have the choice between taking the course as a “Seminar” (non-university credit) or as a “Full Course” (university credit, all 3 modules only). The ESSENTIALS COURSE is offered in partnership with ST. STEPHEN’S UNIVERSITY (SSU). SSU is chartered by the province of New Brunswick to grant Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. SSU offers an opportunity to attain an undergraduate or graduate degree within a Christian community and, at the same time, to travel the world.
SSU also offers Master Of Ministry degrees with a variety of specializations. THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY AND EMERGING WORSHIP STUDIES offers a unique specialization in Worship Studies And Spiritual Formation for experienced worship leaders, artists and musicians.
Additionally, the Institute offers a One Year Diploma in Worship Studies And Spiritual Formation with SSU, and a variety of online and seminar courses, including the ESSENTIALS online study course.
By university credit, we mean applicable as some form of academic credit (or financial credit where academic credit is not needed) toward further Institute programs at St. Stephen’s University (SSU), such as our One Year Diploma, Three Year Masters, and One Week Intensive programs at SSU.
Our online courses apply as undergraduate credit in all Institute programs offered at SSU. Additionally, a participant successfully completing the full ESSENTIALS COURSE (all 3 modules, university fee paid and work completed satisfactorily) will receive the equivalent of one 3 credit hour undergraduate elective at St. Stephen’s University, no matter the undergraduate major chosen.
If an ESSENTIALS COURSE is completed for university credit, and the participant is interested in applying it to the Institute Master Of Ministry program (or Diploma Of Ministry - same coursework for those with required ministry experience but no completed undergraduate degree) that 3 credit hour undergraduate course will apply in one of two ways, whichever is most applicable. 1) The Masters candidate will receive the entire ESSENTIALS COURSE tuition they paid off of their Masters tuition costs (a portion per two week module), or 2) The Diploma Of Ministry candidate desiring to upgrade later to a Masters may apply the ESSENTIALS COURSE as one, 3 credit hour Arts elective to their upgrade requirements.
It is vital for all students to know that the INSTITUTE MASTER OF MINISTRY PROGRAM is a high quality, small roundtable program with a variety of requirements that must be fulfilled by applicants. The Institute Masters requires an applicant to have 3-5 years full time ministry experience (or equivalent), an appropriate level of experience in today’s contemporary worship/artistic expressions, and an undergraduate degree (if applying directly for the Masters). IT IS NOT TO BE ASSUMED THAT DOING THE ONLINE COURSE MEANS AUTOMATIC ACCEPTANCE INTO THE INSTITUTE MASTERS PROGRAM. The Institute Masters is an exclusive program that must weigh each applicant on their own merits, and their “fit” with the program. We can only take 15 students per year, and this necessitates a diligent selection process. Entry into an ESSENTIALS COURSE does not mean that a person will be accepted into every Institute program. The criteria for online acceptance and Masters acceptance are quite different.
When taking any course for university/college credit, there is no standard system by which “all credits are accepted by all universities for any course that is called a university course”. SSU DOES NOT issue a transcript exclusively for the ESSENTIALS COURSE, but rather includes it on transcripts of students involved in other coursework with the university.
Universities do not necessarily have reciprocal policies in which courses automatically apply for credit. The Institute can provide a description of the ESSENTIALS COURSE and its application for SSU credit for evaluation by other universities should you choose, but Institute programs at SSU are the primary application for the online course university credit mentioned.
Certificates for the ESSENTIALS COURSE are only sent to those completing all 3 modules (blue, red and green), and not for individual modules.
