Our Mission

Developing excellence in Kingdom-minded music and worship leaders 

A Word From Our New Chair, Greg Woodward

Welcome to the Church Music Ministries Division of New Orleans Baptist Seminary.  Since arriving in New Orleans, I have reacclimated myself to my native city and state.  Very quickly, I was reminded of the New Orleans' southern hospitality with a twist.  We'd love to have you come visit our city and enjoy some of the wonderful cuisine on one of our preview days.  We hope to provide answers to many of your questions through our Website, but please feel free to contact us with any further questions at musicdivision@nobts.edu.  Before proceeding to the rest of the site, please read the following description of our program.  I believe it accurately represents who we are and who we seek to be as a leader in church music ministry development.

How do we face the overwhelming challenges of providing relevant seminary training in worship studies?

The need is clear.  Our society's starvation for the Word is the clearest indication of the fundamental need for Biblically-based worship leaders.  Worship leaders play an important role in helping the people see the connection between celebrating God's presence and hearing God's voice.  This two-fold principle is revealed in Ezekiel 43: the glory of God is revealed in the temple and Ezekiel then hears God's voice. Thus, equipping worship leaders continues to be a priority for a seminary that focuses on total church health.

NOBTS reaffirms it's commitment in providing comprehensive instruction in this essential area of church leadership.  The challenges are daunting: 1) convincing 20-somethings that, while they may be able to obtain a worship leadership job without a music degree or seminary training, they may not be able to sustain a lifetime of effective ministry without further education; 2) preparing worship leaders for the widest variety of musical scenarios and church that Evangelicals have known; and 3) developing coherent curriculum choices that deal with these challenges.

Furthermore, it is beyond cliché to refer to "worship wars" or "praise choruses versus hymns."  Those of us who have been involved in worship ministries for at least a decade are weary of these debates.  Away from the clamor of this ongoing rhetoric lies a sanctuary of theological foundation, thoughtful and Christianly mediation, Christ-honoring creative output, and celebrative worship.  You might be surprised, as throngs of other NOBTS alumni were once surprised, to find this sanctuary in the midst of the most unlikely of cities.  

Let's listen to what's going in the halls of this modern-day hermitage.  One of our nationally-recognized faculty members, Michael Sharp, is presenting a series of lectures on multi-generational worship.   Ed Steele, our history expert, gently reminds incoming freshman in Leavell College that we will equip them for a life-time of ministry in the constantly changing landscape of music ministry.  During his lunch-break, Dr. Steele will squeeze in some time for further edits to a Cuban hymnal as part of the ongoing equipping ministry of NOBTS to Cuban worship leaders.  Greg Woodward discusses the pedagogical contrasts between a rock-democracy and choral dictatorship.  Becky Lombard continues to attract some of the most outstanding keyboardists in the Southeast, sustaining the art of organ performance.  Benjie Harlan is preparing a composition for a university ensemble to present at a regional ACDA conference, and he's beginning work on the 2010 Word Music Christmas musical.  Darryl Ferrington is preparing to launch one of the most comprehensive research projects any seminary music program has undertaken.  But, most importantly, we see a student sitting in a practice room reaching the end of herself in a pursuit of excellence before the Father, asking Him to renew her calling and sustain her drive to reveal the glory of her Savior to the world.

All of these observations tell us why the NOBTS Church Music Ministries Division can say, by the authority of the calling of God upon our lives individually and His anointing over our institution, that we are "developing excellence in Kingdom-minded music and worship leaders."

A Brief History

Accrediting

Contact Us

Please feel free to contact us by telephone, e-mail, or regular mail:

Division of Church Music Ministries
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
3939 Gentilly Boulevard
New Orleans, LA 70126
(504) 282-4455, extension 3226 or extension 8013
musicdivision@nobts.edu