Music in Christian Worship Course
June 22 - July 3, 2026
8:45am-noon Central Daylight Time
Click here to join the class via Zoom
Readings
- Westermeyer, Paul. Te Deum: The Church and Music. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1998. ISBN 0-8006-3146-3.
- Westermeyer, Paul. The Church Musician. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1997. ISBN 0-8066-3399-9.
Required Assignments (everyone):
- Assignment 1: Personal reflection on early experiences that shaped a personal theology of music. Due Sunday, June 28. [assignment directions]
- Assignment 2: Oral presentation based on written reflection on Thursday, July 2 during class that traces your denominational theology of music. [assignment directions]
- Assignment 3: Prepare and share a liturgy on Friday, July 3 for one of the given feast/other days using outlines provided or your own denominational liturgical format. [assignment directions]
- Abstracts of course readings
- June 21, Te Deum, pp. 1-198;
- June 28, Te Deum, pp. 201-320.
- June 30, The Church Musician.
- Other daily, briefer readings to be abstracted throughout the course are due 10:00 p.m. the evening before the class where they will be discussed. (see calendar below)
- Note: All abstracts should be sent to ckroeker@churchmusicinstitute.org. Guidelines for Writing Abstracts
- All students will attend all morning and noonday prayer services and all class meetings via Zoom.
Students taking the class through Brite Seminary for credit must complete the following assignments: abstracts, assignments 1-3 listed above, an individual project, and a book review (the final 2 must be chosen in consultation with Dr. Kroeker).
Calendar with Hyperlinked Materials
Sunday, June 21 7:30 p.m. Get-Acquainted Meeting and Course Requirements Discussion on Zoom
Abstract for pages 1-198 of Te Deum & "Christian Worship" due via email to Dr. Kroeker (ckroeker@churchmusicinstitute.org). Guidelines for Writing Abstracts
Monday, June 22
8:45 Morning Prayer
9:00 Te Deum Chapter 1; Study of Church Music Overview; Development of Liturgy from earliest times to present – Dr. Gail Ramshaw
- Read & Abstract "Christian Worship" pp. 201-214
- Read & Prepare Ramshaw Assignment
11: 50 Noon Prayer
10:00 pm abstract of Witvliet, Biblical Psalms HERE due to Dr. Kroeker via email.
Tuesday, June 23
Readings: Chapter 2, 3 & 4 of Te Deum; John Witvliet, The Biblical Songs in Christian Worship
8: 45 Morning Prayer
9:00 Biblical Sources & Psalms - Dr. Zebulon Highben
11:50 Noon Prayer
Wednesday, June 24
Readings: Chapters 5-9 of Te Deum
8:45 Morning Prayer
9:00 Early Church including introduction of theological understanding of music through the eyes of Ambrose, Pambo, Augustine, Aquinas - Dr. Don Horisberger
- Read in advance (abstract if desired) & prepare for class discussion (readings here)
11:50 Noon Prayer
Thursday, June 25
Readings: Chapters 10, 11, & 12 of Te Deum
8:45 Morning Prayer
9:00 The Reformation including the introduction of theological understanding of music through the eyes of Zwingli, Calvin, Luther - Dr. Zebulon Highben
- Read and Abstract: Zebulon M. Highben. "Reviving Sacred Song: 500 Years of the Lutheren Chorale in its Congregational and Choral Contexts." Choral Journal 58, no. 1 (August 2017): 36–46.
11:50 Noon Prayer
Friday, June 26
Readings: Glick, Robert P. "18th Century Worship Wars: Bach, Orthodoxy and Pietism." The American Organist, July, 2025.
8:45 Morning Prayer
9:00 The Timelessness of J.S. Bach: Study of Cantata No. 80, Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott – Dr. Charlotte Kroeker
- Additional Resources to have available in class:
- Score to Cantata, BWV80
- Text/Translation/Notes of Cantata 80
- Brief Chronological Timeline for J.S. Bach
11:50 Noon Prayer
Monday, June 29
Reading:
8:45 Morning Prayer
11:50 Noon Prayer
Tuesday, June 30
Section VI Sacrosanctum Concilium
8:45 Morning Prayer
11:50 Noon Prayer
Wednesday, July 1
Reading: Westermeyer, Paul. The Church Musician.
8:45 Morning Prayer
11:50 Noon Prayer
Thursday, July 2
Reading: Introduction to Slave Songs of the United States
"Jacob's Ladder" from Deep River & The Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death by Howard Thurman
8:45 Morning Prayer
11:00 - Short presentations on your denominational theology of music, showing how it builds on one or more of the theological streams of thought from the first week.
11:50 Noon Prayer
Friday, July 3
Reading: "Choosing Music for Worship" (attached)
Liturgy for Ash Wednesday
Liturgy for Christmas Eve
Liturgy for Easter
Liturgy for Epiphany
Liturgy for Maundy Thursday
Liturgy for Pentecost
8:45 Morning Prayer
11:50 Noon Prayer
Students taking the course for credit from Brite Seminary should consult with Dr. Kroeker about due dates and assignment requirements for their individual project and book review.