The 22nd annual Music & Worship Conference, this year titled “Stamped. Sealed. Discipled.,” will take place the weekend of Feb. 12–14 on the campus of Andrews University. The conference is run through the International Center for Worship & Music and aims to bring scholarship, worship, and real ministry practice into one room, not only prompting discussions and growth for pastors and seminary students, but also helping undergraduates learn how to become better worship leaders.
Pastor Jillian Lawrence, seminary student and conference coordinator, stated that the focus of this year’s conference is “Worship as Missional Discipleship,” aiming to explore “how music forms people who don’t just sing on Sabbath, but who carry the faith out to their classrooms, careers, churches, and communities.”
The conference will explore many different genres of music, not just hymns. Lawrence explained, “Whatever the genre you prefer, how is that creating disciples? How are you able to encourage an encounter with Christ?” There will be various speakers, presentations, performances, and workshops for the attendees to partake in, hosted by dynamic leaders from around the world, where different styles of worship will be explored and practiced.
Featured speakers include Carlton Byrd, president of the Southwest Region Conference; Cory Willson, plenary speaker from Calvin University; and Ron Man, an internationally recognized worship scholar and practitioner. The conference will also present various musicians, including the Andrews University Singers, Marena Clunie, K-Anthony, Deliverance Mass Choir and more.
The final concert, “Lift Every Voice,” will take place on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the Howard Performing Arts Center and will honor Black History Month. According to their website, “The concert is designed as a celebration of worship, culture and shared praise across communities.”
The coordinators of the conference hope to have 90 in-person attendees at the sessions, with another 40 online. Though the majority of attendees are Master of Divinity students from the seminary, there are also pastors and pastoral administrators, worship leaders, scholars, local church members, community guests, and undergraduate students who come to learn. Lawrence believes that this conference is important to host at Andrews University because of the nature of our diverse campus, and the mission of the school—to create World Changers and send them out to do God’s work. Andrews University is a training ground for global ministry, and it is important that the music element of worship is not forgotten.
Undergraduates are highly encouraged to attend the conference. There is a discounted rate of $45 for Andrews University students, making the conference a worthwhile investment. Lawrence argues that worship is central to life on campus. “Worship isn’t an extra activity here. It’s…how faith is formed here on this campus, and how mission happens, and how communities are built.” She hopes that the conference will be able to give “language and structure” to their worship—something the students are already actively engaged with on campus. Lawrence believes that undergraduate attendees are crucial to the success of the conference, as they are the “leaders of tomorrow.”
You can register for the event on their website. The concert at the Howard Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 6:30 p.m. will be free of charge, and no tickets will be required. More details can be found here.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.