Spiritual Development Department
Worship and Formation
Learn how to design worship sets with biblical truths and holistic spiritual formation in mind.
Worship and Formation
Enroll NowSample Course
$24.9916 LessonsWorkshop
Overview

If the chief end of all humankind is to worship God wholeheartedly, we can’t make a worship gathering only about music performance. Join Todd Pickett and Mike Ahn from Biola's Spiritual Development department for sixteen lessons as they unpack principles and strategies to design worship sets with biblical truths and holistic spiritual formation in mind.

Each lesson contains:

  • A short video introducing key principles for worship and formation
  • Reflections  to help you think more deeply about the lesson's topic

Additionally, the course contains four practices that help you collect up what you have learned over the previous lessons and integrate those learnings into your everyday life and your worship leading.

Instructors
Todd Pickett
Mike Ahn
Spiritual Development Department

The mission of Spiritual Development is to nurture the fullness of God's love in us and among us through wisdom, rhythms and relationships. Through our programs, we seek to welcome and guide those who long to take the Spirit-led journey that moves faith from the "head to the heart," from belief to trust.

Learn More about Spiritual Development at Biola

Syllabus

Lesson Introduction:As a way to introduce the...
Overview
Worship and Formation
Video
Reflection: Worship Leading Experience
Reflection
Lesson Introduction:Worship leaders are not...
Overview
What is the Worship Leader Really Doing?
Video
Reflection: What Do We Glorify?
Reflection
Lesson Introduction:Worship leaders are...
Overview
What am I Inviting People to Do as Worshippers?
Video
Reflection: Your Heart
Reflection
Lesson Introduction:As we teach people to...
Overview
How Can I Help People Present Themselves to God?
Video
Reflection: Dry Worship
Reflection
Lesson Introduction:We can’t forget that music...
Overview
Why Musical Worship?
Video
Reflection: Musical Worship
Reflection
Practice: Being Present to Beauty
Resource
Lesson Introduction:As worship leaders, we...
Overview
The "Impostor Syndrome"
Video
Reflection: "The Gap"
Reflection
Lesson Introduction:The emotions are the...
Overview
The Emotions in Worship
Video
Reflection: Honesty in Worship
Reflection
Lesson Introduction:Worship can be used to...
Overview
Training and Liturgy
Video
Reflection: Worship Habits
Reflection
Lesson Introduction:Sometimes in worship we...
Overview
Embodied Worship
Video
Reflection: Bodily Postures
Reflection
Practice: Presenting Our Body
Resource
Lesson Introduction:Ultimately, we need to see...
Overview
Worship as a Spiritual Discipline
Video
Reflection: Disorientation and Worship
Reflection
Lesson Introduction:Todd and Mike provide a few...
Overview
Spiritual Disciplines and the Worship Leader
Video
Reflection: Spiritual Disciplines and the Worship Leader
Reflection
Lesson Introduction:Too many times, we’ve made...
Overview
Importance of Diverse Worship
Video
Reflection: Worship Genres
Reflection
Lesson Introduction:Todd and Mike focus on one...
Overview
Gospel Music
Video
Practice: Designing a Rule of Life
Resource
Lesson Introduction:Todd and Mike discuss the...
Overview
What We Do at Biola
Video
Lesson Introduction:Todd and Mike share...
Overview
Principles and Takeaways - Big Picture
Video
Lesson Introduction:Todd and Mike share more...
Overview
Principles and Takeaways - Framing
Video
Practice: Developing a Definition/Philosophy of Worship
Resource
Additional Resources
Resource
Course Evaluation
Resource

Course FAQ

Everything you need to complete this course is included. No additional purchases are required. There are recommended resources listed at the end of the course if you would like to pursue further study on this topic.

Each lesson is designed to take approximately half an hour, depending on how deeply you engage the reflections and practices. Since this is a self-paced course, the time it will take you to complete it will depend on the speed with which you want to progress through the course.

Since this course is designed as a completely self-paced experience, you will not have any interaction with the professors during the course.