Pursuing a research doctorate in the area of God’s transcendence and immanence conveyed in Christian worship is a humbling experience. Along the way, one learns of his own frailty, his own inadequacies to say anything about God, his dire need for God’s grace, and his need for the help and support of others. Though I feel utterly inadequate to speak about God, I am grateful for his grace to try and for the people along the way God has used to be agents of spiritual formation in my life. I would like to acknowledge a few.
I am forever grateful to Lorraine Paris (1927-2004), esteemed Director of Bands at Newberry High School in Newberry, South Carolina, and to Fairview Baptist Church in Kinards, South Carolina, who were used by the Lord in my teenage years to plant the seeds of future music and worship ministry in my heart.
In addition, I am grateful to Bruce Leafblad, Professor of Church Music and Worship at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Leafblad has had the single greatest impact on shaping my philosophy and understanding of worship and the music of the church. Much of this research is rooted in the theological and doxological foundations built by God through him in my seminary days as a student at SWBTS.
I am thankful to Scott Connell, whose life-long friendship has enriched my life and challenged my personal walk with the Lord. I am eternally grateful to the Lord for calling us both to serve at Boyce College and Southern Seminary and for the opportunity to journey through the PhD in Christian Worship together.
Also, I am indebted to Bill Keith, esteemed minister of music at First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach, Florida, who decided to take a chance on a young, inexperienced seminary graduate and hire him as his associate. From Bill, I learned the essence of pastoral ministry in the local church: to whole-heartedly love God and to graciously love people.
I want to acknowledge the gracious help of Cody Libolt, a godly worship leader, husband of Sasha, and new father of Ira. Cody was instrumental and influential to this research in three significant ways. First, Cody served as my research assistant specifically in the area of data management for the Worship Design Project 2014. Second, Cody’s brilliant philosophical mind and passionate heart for leading Christians to genuinely and whole-heartedly worship God in spirit and truth were immensely instrumental in helping me to formulate my own thoughts about how the transcendence and immanence of God should influence worship planning and design. Third, Cody has helped to shape many of the thoughts that are shared in the analysis section of the Worship Design Project website.
I would also like to acknowledge Steve McCord, who serves tirelessly at the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Steve was significantly influential in assisting with the statistical analysis of the data from the Worship Design Project 2014.
Bruce A. Ware taught the first theology course in which I was privileged to enroll at Southern Seminary. His teaching was both inspiring and transformative. Dr. Ware is a professor/pastor who teaches out of the overflow of a profound personal knowledge of and dynamic relationship with the Word. After my first class with Dr. Ware, my desire was to take as many classes as possible with him and to learn as much as I could from him. Little did I know that many years later, he would consent to be my dissertation chair. His passion for God, love of teaching, and understanding of worship have given him a worldwide platform to shape tens of thousands of hearts for Christ. I will be eternally grateful for his investment in me, and I pray that God will use me in the years to come in the way he has used Dr. Ware to transform generations of pastors who shepherd God’s people.
Joe Crider and Greg Brewton are great men of God and humble, selfless worship leaders who have dedicated their lives to ensuring that God is glorified in and through the next generation of worship leaders who train at Southern Seminary and Boyce College. I could not have asked for any better teaching mentors and partners in ministry training than these two gentlemen. I look forward to each day of teaching at Southern Seminary because I get to do life and ministry together with godly men like these.
Many thanks to Micah Loggins for assistance in constructing this website and to all of the ministers of worship who took time to participate in the Worship Design Project 2014.
A final word to conclude: this dissertation is born out of nearly two decades of ministry at First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach, Florida (a.k.a. Family Church)—a phenomenal church comprised of remarkable worshiping Christ-followers whom I love dearly. I am forever grateful for this church family and for each Sunday morning service, Sunday evening service, Wednesday choir rehearsal, band rehearsal, praise team rehearsal, mission trip, camp, retreat, staff meeting, and special moment that the Lord so graciously and faithfully gave us a glimpse of his glory.
May this work encourage future worship pastors to understand and teach of the utter transcendence of the God we worship and then the unfathomable expressions of the immanence of God that he so graciously grants to those whom he has redeemed for his glory.
Chuck T. Lewis
Louisville, Kentucky
May 2015