Buies Creek, N.C.-The Campbell Divinity School has introduced a new Master of Divinity concentration that addresses a desperate need in many churches-Minister of Music.
Although the Master of Divinity with Church Music concentration has been on the drawing board for a couple of years, it was enhanced by the addition of a new worship facility, the Anna Gardner and Robert B. Butler Chapel, and a majestic new pipe organ containing 1,198 individual pipes and 58 ranks of digital sounds.
“I believe strongly that the pendulum has begun to swing back toward traditional church music,” said Larry Dickens, adjunct instructor of church music and music concentration coordinator. “We want to prepare our students for worship leadership in the 21st century.”
The goal of the program, said Dickens, is to engage future worship leaders in a process of spiritual formation and skill development. The church music concentration values the traditions of church music, while acknowledging current trends in contemporary worship and emergent movements, he said.
“Music ministry is absolutely as important as any ministry,” Dickens said. “It is tied to worship in an inseparable way. “We believe that music is a tool for ministry and should be used as a means of discipleship.”
A minimum of 18 hours is required to complete the concentration as part of the three-year Master of Divinity degree program. Courses include Introduction to Music Ministry, Advanced Worship Ministry, Hymnody, Choral and Solo Literature for Music Ministry, Conducting, Advanced Practicum in Worship and Spiritual Formation, Music Ministry with Children and Youth and Applied Studies in Organ, Piano, Voice or ther instruments.
“I’m very, very pleased to be a part of this program and lay a foundation for something that is new and desperately needed,” Dickens said, adding that the goals of the program are to establish an endowed chair and to partner with churches in the community as sources for visiting lecturers, internships and financial support.
For more information on the Master of Divinity with Church Music concentration, contact Kelly Jones, Director of Admissions for the Campbell Divinity School, 910.893.1865.