Worship

Students are prepared for participation in public worship by means of courses that cover the traditional disciplines of homiletics and liturgics. Training in both areas begins in the first semester of the junior year. The Form and Function of Christian Worship (three hours, second semester) leads students to understand objectives of worship and principles that guide the forms of worship, with special focus on the historical and contemporary use of the Christian liturgy and the services of the Daily Office. Preaching in Christian Worship IA and IB (two hours, two semesters) covers homiletical theory and begins the training that will enable the student to prepare a text study, a basic and expanded outline, and a written sermon. As part of the course, each student writes two sermons and preaches them before the members of his class. Juniors are encouraged to preach their class sermons in congregations, but not until after Easter.

Training for preaching continues during the middler year in Preaching in Christian Worship II (four hours, second semester). After a review of basic theory and topics central to the contemporary task of proclamation, each student preaches two sermons, one in class and another in a congregation (for review via video tape). The second sermon is based on a text from the Old Testament.

Studies in worship and preaching are combined in the senior year in Preaching and Presiding in Christian Worship (four hours, first semester). The course includes a review of key liturgical and homiletical principles and includes opportunities for practical discussions concerning worship planning and leadership. Seniors prepare and preach one sermon during the semester. The sermon is preached in a congregation and reviewed on video tape by the student’s preaching instructor and a group of his peers.

Except in cases of emergency, students are not to deliver any sermon that has not been approved by a member of the faculty or the pastor in whose church the sermon is to be preached.

* Courses numbered 1000-1999 are given for juniors (first year students), 2000-2999 for middlers (second year students), 3000-3999 for seniors; 4000-4999 are electives taught during the regular school year; 7000-7999 are electives taught during the Winterim.
** These figures represent the number of credit hours. Classes are conducted Mondays through Fridays, five periods per day, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Length of regular class period: fifty minutes.