Valley Forge Christian College (AG) in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, will offer its fourth graduate program with the launching of the Master of Arts degree in Worship Studies in spring of 2010.
The Worship Studies masters, the first of its kind program within the Assemblies of God, is designed for music pastors, church musicians, lead pastors, associate pastors, missionaries and laypersons interested in pursing graduate studies in worship.
Structured to take about two and a half years to complete (33 credit hours), the program focuses on unchanging biblical truth as a basis for assessing the appropriateness and usefulness of innovations and traditions in worship. The curriculum provides evangelical and Pentecostal hermeneutic competencies for original research of the Scriptures. Emphasis is also placed on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in private and public worship.
Dr. William DeSanto, chair of Music Department at VFCC, says, "This new degree is significant because it approaches the area of Worship Studies from a Pentecostal perspective. The program, offered primarily online, is easily accessible to worship leaders, musicians, pastors and lay persons around the world. Students can choose to enter the program in the spring, summer or fall trimesters."
In addition to the theological and historical core studies, flexible study plans allow students to pursue areas of personal interest through electives at the graduate level. Work done in the normal course of ministry such as productions, recordings, sermon or teaching series, can count toward elective credits when supervised and approved by a professor.
The Worship Studies program will offer two tracks: Pastoral/Preaching and Worship Leader. VFCC also offers masters programs in Christian Leadership, Music Technology and Theology.
For more detailed information about the new graduate program or Valley Forge Christian College, see http://www.VFCC.edu.
