INFO PACKAGE 2020/2021 This is just the beginning. Thank you for your interest in the Worship Central Academy and your heart for His Kingdom. We are sincerely grateful that you’ve chosen to explore our program to encounter God and be futher equipped and empowered in your life of ministry! Enclosed, you’ll fnd information on what you can expect from the Academy, including details regarding timeline, curriculum, admission requirements, how to apply, and more. 01 OVERVIEW WHAT IS ACADEMY? The mission of the Worship Central Academy is to raise up profcient and God-centred worship leaders. The ENCOUNTER dream is to increase the worship climate of our cities and The Academy gives you the opportunity to empower our beautiful tapestry of local churches. encounter God on a deeper level and to grow as a follower of Christ, as an individual as well as in community. Nestled in the heart of Greater Vancouver, the Academy will equip emerging worship leaders with rich theological exposition, practical methodologies to leading worship that include both hard and soft skills, and tools to unlock the creative gifting unique to each individual. Join us, and let’s pioneer together. EQUIP Theological study, worship teaching and practical masterclasses will equip you both spiritually and practically. WHO IS IT FOR? The Academy is designed for those who are passionate about worship, love God, desire to be equipped, and have a calling to serve in worship leadership within the local church. We seek to empower those who want to see others come to worship God. The Academy is EMPOWER committed to developing worship leaders who will Through leadership training and serving as part of a local church community you will be acquire the skills to lead worship with sensitivity, wisdom, empowered to be a leader. and effectiveness. TO GAIN ENTRY INTO ACADEMY, APPLICANTS MUST POSSESS THE FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS: Living a faithful Christian lifestyle Participating and serving actively in a local church Feel called by God to worship and music ministry Graduated high school 02 PROGRAM The eight-month program is divided into two parts: Biblical and Theological Studies on Worship (Tuesday evenings) and Practical Methodologies of Leading Worship (twice per month). Course descriptions and more information can be found below. Tuesdays / 6:30pm-9:00pm Biblical & Theological Studies On Worship I. Theology of Worship: Who is This God Who Seeks Worshippers? a. The Triune God b. The God Who Reveals God’s Self c. Biblical Hymns & Poetry: Songs from the Canon d. The Holy Spirit: Our Worship Coordinator II. Biblical Theology: How are We to Worship? a. The Psalter: Songs to Live By b. Where Heaven meets Earth: A Biblical Theology of the Temple c. How Heavenly Worship Shapes Earthly Worship d. The Life of Prayer: Secret Place Before the Stage III. The Soul of the Worshipper a. Who am I? How Knowing Our Identity Shapes Us as Disciples & Leaders b. Spiritual Disciplines: Rhythms for Life with God c. Spiritual Gifts: Discovering Your Instrument of Praise d. Worship as Warfare: Bringing the People of God Under the Reign of God 03 PROGRAM BIBLICAL & THEOLOGICAL STUDIES ON WORSHIP I. THEOLOGY OF WORSHIP: WHO IS THIS GOD WHO SEEKS WORSHIPPERS? a. The Triune God - Term 1 In this 2-week course on the God who seeks worshippers, we will engage with the doctrine of the trinity, in order to learn more about the indispensable who of worship; who is God and what has he done so as to be worthy of praise? We’ll explore how our worship is an ‘always-after’ response to God’s actions in history. We’ll discover how revelation, remembering, the real presence of God, relationality and response in worship are integral movements in participatory worship of the triune God. b. The God Who Reveals God’s Self - Term 1 In order for us to actually know the Living God, God must "open up" to us. We can guess who God is all we want, but we will most certainly get it wrong! The good news is that the Living God has, in His desire to be known by us, "opened up," revealing His character and purposes in all kinds of ways. In the frst session we will look at how God has done this in the events and words of the Old Testament. In the second session we will look at how God has done this fnally and defnitively in Jesus Christ, in His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Among the goals of the sessions is to be able to write songs of worship that are faithful to Who God is telling us He is! c. Biblical Hymns & Poetry: Songs from the Canon - Term 2 The Bible, especially the New Testament, is full of songs and hymns the people of God sang soon after the coming of Jesus. They are, as one would expect, radically centred in and on Jesus Himself, and because of this, fully Trinitarian. In these two sessions we will work through such songs and hymns, listening to how they speak of Jesus (and God as Trinity). We will explore ancient and modern church hymns inspired by these songs and hymns. And will learn how to evaluate ancient and modern songs in light of what we discover. d. The Holy Spirit: Our Worship Coordinator - Term 2 As we read more about the worship life of the early Christian Church, we discover that although human beings had a role to play, the Person Who plays the most essential role is the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father sends to us in relationship with His Son. In these two sessions we will listen to Jesus tells us about the Spirit (John 14-16), and then to how Jesus' apostle Paul develops for us the work of the Spirit in worship (1 Corinthians 11-14). Our hope is that in letting "the word of Christ richly dwell within" (Colossians 3:16) and in being "flled with Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18), we will better understand what the Spirit is doing whenever we gather in Jesus' name. 04 PROGRAM BIBLICAL & THEOLOGICAL STUDIES ON WORSHIP II. BIBLICAL THEOLOGY: HOW ARE WE TO WORSHIP? a. The Psalter: Songs to Live By - Term 1 For centuries now, the people of God have been led in their worshipping and praying by the book of the Bible known as the Psalms. The fact is, the incarnate God, Jesus of Nazareth Himself, worshipped and prayed "by the book," as seen especially as He agonizes on the cross. In these two sessions we will gain a better understanding of how the whole book of Psalms is constructed, the different forms in which the Psalms are composed, and how the Psalms can shape our worshipping and praying. Among the goals of the sessions is being able to put some of the key Psalms to music for our time. b. Where Heaven Meets Earth: A Biblical Theology of the Temple - Term 1 In the Old Testament the Temple is the very nexus of heaven and earth. It is the dwelling place of God among his people, and thus, it is the house of worship. Prayer, forgiveness, and worship are all centralized in this single location on earth. However, when Jesus takes on fesh, the meeting place of heaven and earth becomes the Spirit-flled people of God, causing profound shifts for where, how, and what proper worship looks like. We will dig into the implications of this for your church's gathered and scattered times of worship. c. How Heavenly Worship Shapes Earthly Worship - Term 2 Worship is to fnd unrivaled worth in something and live according to it. Worship is to regard something as ultimate in such a way that it gives one life! This resulting life is expressed in the deepest parts of a person’s soul, and in how one lives. In this two week course, we will explore the human desire to worship, worship as catechesis of the Christian imagination, worship in the already and not-yet and how worship shapes us to shape the world and prepare it for the coming King. d. The Life of Prayer: Secret Place Before the Stage - Term 2 In this 2 week course on prayer, we will interact with the necessity of prayer and discuss the obstacles to developing a life of communion with God. We will take a closer look at some of the great prayers in Scripture and we will get practical with prayer. 05 PROGRAM BIBLICAL & THEOLOGICAL STUDIES ON WORSHIP III. THE SOUL OF THE WORSHIPPER a. Who am I? How Knowing Our Identity Shapes Us as Disciples & Leaders - Term 1 In this 2 week course on identity, we will engage with our cultural creation of identity in light with the truth of our identity as disciples of Christ. We will take a look at how our identity in Christ must be shaped by His example and how that infuences the way we lead with confdence! b. Spiritual Disciplines: Rhythms for Life with God - Term 1 In this course on spiritual disciplines, we will explore both the inward and outward disciplines that have formed and shaped the people of God for millennia. Our hope is to learn to turn the inward disciplines, such as meditation, prayer, fasting and study, outward by mapping them on to congregational worship. Likewise, outward disciplines such as simplicity, solitude, submission and service, will be explored within the interactivity of the individual worshipper. In addition, the corporate disciplines such as confession, worship, discernment and celebration will be examined as the communal practices of a disciple-making community.