Master of Arts in Worship

Worship is a core function of the church, and planning and leading worship is the core within the core. At any church the person and/or team that plans worship have an incredible privilege and responsibility of helping people worship God and learn better how to serve him.

Calvin Theological Seminary has established the Master of Arts in Worship to prepare people to lead the church in that core activity-worship. Students utilize this program to enter various forms of worship ministry. Many courses meet once per week, allowing students to maintain active ministries while working toward their degree.

The M.A. in worship is intended as an expansion on and broadening of what has been referred to as "specialized training in liturgy and music". The precise focus and unique niche of the M.A. in Worship would be to train people for "worship coordinator" or similar positions that are emerging throughout the Christian Reformed Church in North America and in other denominations and independent congregations.

Admission Requirements (show | hide)

  1. Academic requirements
    1. To qualify for admission as a candidate for the M.A. in Worship degree, an applicant must possess an A.B. degree of or its equivalent from an accredited college and have a grade point average of 2.67 (B-) or higher.
    2. The applicant’s pre-seminary education must include two semester courses each in History, Social Science, and Natural Science and one semester course each in English, Literature, Philosophy, and Speech. In addition, applicants should have two courses in Music and/or Art.
    3. An applicant whose academic history does not show sufficient breadth in the liberal arts may be requested to do additional work as a condition of admission.  
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Program Requirements (show | hide)

To provide a holistic preparation for ministry, the Master of Arts in Worship has three major components: Courses requirements to provide intellectual development and development in ministry abilities; Field Education to provide practical experiences in a supervised format; and Readiness for Ministry to provide a small group setting in which students explore a wide variety of questions and develop close friendships and prayer partners.

  1. Course requirements
    Division Course Quarter Hours
    Biblical 110 Narrative Law and History 4
      120 Poetry and Prophets 4
      210 The New Testament Letters for Christian Life and Ministry 4
      220 The Gospels for Christian Life and Ministry 4
      230 Interpreting the Bible for Christian Life and Ministry 3

    Theological
    310
    Church History Survey
    4
      403 Introduction to Christian Doctrine 3
       
    One of the following two (prerequisite: 403):
    3
        477 Ecumenical Creeds and Confessions  
        491 The Heidelberg Catechism
    (Students not seeking to serve a congregation in the CRCNA may substitute one of the following three core courses in systematic theology for one of the previous two courses on creeds and confessions.)     		 
       
    One of the following three (prerequisite: 403):
    3
        415 The Doctine of God and Creation  
        425 The Doctrine of Christ/Salvation  
        435 The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, Church and Kingdom
    (Students may substitute a systematic theology departmental elective for one of the above three courses with special permission from the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the course instructor.)     		 
      521 Fundamental Apologetics 3
      531 Basic Christian Ethics 3

    Ministry
    600
    Foundations in Ministry I
    3
      601 Foundations in Ministry II 3
       
    Divisional core    		  
        Two of the following: 6
        A course in pastoral care  
        A course in educational ministry  
        A course in missions  
       
    Departmental core    		  
      650 Introduction to Christian Worship 3
      682 The Theology of Worship in the Reformed Tradition 3
      685 Planning and Leading Congregational Worship 3
      695 Intro to M.A. Research Project in Worship 3
      696 M.A. Research Project 3
        Two electives within the department of worship 6
       
    Interdisciplinary Courses    		  
      901 Theological Education as Formation for Ministry (a) 2
      902 Theological Education as Formation for Ministry (b) 1

    General    		  
    Two electives from any department
    6
        Total (quarter) hours 80
  2. Formation for Ministry (FFM) Group - 6 credits

    Students receive one FFM credit per quarter of FFM group involvement for six quarters, for a total of six credits.

    The FFM group is facilitated by a faculty member, pastor or staff minister and composed of 6 to 8 students that meet regularly over the student's entire seminary career (or first two years, if one's program extends longer than two years). These groups are designed to be communities of trust and reflection in which spiritual formation, theological integration, and ministry skill development take place. During the fall, winter, and spring quarters FFM groups focus upon certain areas of personal development or ministry practice. Integral to the success of the FFM group is the student's involvement with a vocational mentor and regular involvement in a local church.

    Activities related to the FFM group are expected to take approximately 40 hours per quarter. Each quarter the student should spend approximately 6 hours with their vocational mentor, 14 hours with their FFM group and related activities, and 20 hours doing required ministry practices, completing documentation for their Formation for Ministry Folio (FFMF), practicing their Rule of Life first developed in Course 901, and participating in the life of the church. This 20 hour figure includes a wide variety of activities but is intended to especially highlight the student's Rule of Life and regular involvement in the life of a local church as an integral part of the formation process.

    List of Grand Rapids CRC Churches

  3. Internships - 2 credits

    All students will ordinarily complete a summer internship as part of their MA: W. program.

    The internship is generally five to six weeks in length with a minimum of 200 hours of ministry involvement, including significant leadership responsibility. As much as possible this will be an immersion experience that provides a horizon expanding ministry experience. On-site mentoring, a written reflection and peer evaluation are possible ways of guiding/documenting this internship. In this internship, students will be encouraged to complete various ministry practices requirements/documentation for their FFMF. Also, students will be expected to maintain contact with and meet (via e-mail, and/or phone) with their vocational mentor. Sites for these summer internships involve collaboration with ministries such as:

    • Facing Your Future (FYF) ministry settings
    • Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM)
    • Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC)
    • Christian Reformed Home Missions (CRHM)
    • Border-Plex Ministries (El Paso, Texas)
    • Christian Ministry in the National Parks
    • Urban ministry settings in Grand Rapids
    • Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education (SCUPE)
    • Prison Fellowship Jail Ministries

    The student will earn 2 credits for this internship. This internship experience will be processed with the student's FFM leader/group during the subsequent fall quarter.

  4. Formation for Ministry Folio (FFMF) is the collection of the documents that are generated in the Formation for Ministry program as listed below:

    1. Local Church and Vocational Mentor Commitment Form
    2. One Self-Assessment Form for Ministry Practices
    3. Two student-written Progress Reports
    4. Three FFM group leader Response Paragraphs
    5. Two Vocational Mentor Assessments
    6. Internship Assessment
    7. One Integrative Paper Establishing Proficiency for each Ministry Practice Area
      • Evangelism, Discipleship, Teaching (Area #1)
      • Service, Social Justice, Cultural Engagement (Area #2)
      • Worship, Preaching (Area #3)
      • Community Life, Fellowship (Area #4)
      • Pastoral Care, Counseling (Area #5)
      • Administration, Leadership (Area #6)
    8. One Integrative Paper that Establishes Competency in the Area of Specialization
    9. One Final Assessment by FFM group leader
  5. Comprehensive examinations

    In addition to taking regular quarter examinations, candidates for the M.A. in Worship degree are required to sustain two comprehensive examinations: a written examination on Bible content and a one-hour oral examination by representative members of the faculty. Specific rules are found in the Student Handbook.

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