06 May 2010
The Institute of Music Ministry (IMM) is a totally unique school of contemporary musicianship created for people who have a heart for God, for people, and for worship. IMM offers two year (Associate of Arts in Music Ministry) and four year (Bachelor of Arts in Church Ministries with a Major in Worship Arts) programs designed for musicians who desire to grow as worshippers, leaders, and artists.
Church Focus
The Church Focus is for you if you are looking to become a vocational church musician, or simply to develop into a more skilled lay leader, we are committed to training, equipping, and encouraging tomorrow’s church music leaders.
Community Focus
The Community Focus is for you if you feel God is calling you to serve Him and serve your world through music. This focus will give you the knowledge, guidance, spiritual grounding, and ‘hands-on’ experience to grow your capacity to create music with passion, skill and integrity … an expression of God’s heart to the world around you.
IMM is for you if you...
- desire to use your musical gifts for God
- want to expand your musical skills
- want to learn music technology
- want to learn teamwork and leadership skills
- want to write and arrange songs
- want to create fresh sounds in worship
- want to impact your world with music that expresses God’s heart
About the Program
IMM is here to inspire and train students to create musical expressions of worship to God… Creatively, Passionately, Skillfully and in Community.
Challenge yourself spiritually.
Your relationship with Jesus is the most important part of your life. We want to help you grow in that relationship and establish a deepening passion for God. The faculty will serve you not only as musical and creative mentors but as spiritual mentors, too.
Everyone in the program will take part in a LIFE group which meets once a week over the two school years. You’ll experience accountability, prayer, encouragement, friendship, and a lot of laughs.
Spending time in His Word, in prayer, and in worship is expected of all PLBC students.
If you’re coming from out of town, you’ll be required to plug into a local church and begin volunteering with their music program. Of course, if you’re local then you’ll be required to volunteer with your home church music program.
Challenge yourself academically and creatively. To complete the program in the two years, you’ll be required to complete 64 credits (16 per semester). Classes will require significant amounts of personal discipline (both in and out of class), discussion, reading (articles/texts) and writing (book reviews, research papers). IMM credits are transferable to our own degree programs and to leading seminaries, therefore academic integrity is rigorously maintained. Be prepared!
Challenge yourself practically. Education isn’t completed in the classroom; it should be tested and applied in the real world. Philosophies, strategies, and wisdom taught in class will be best learned by doing what you are learning. Many of the IMM courses have a practical ‘hands-on’ approach to give you that experience. We believe in learning then doing. We also strongly urge students to serve in a local church music ministry while they are attending PLBC.
We believe a servant heart and humility is essential for every aspect of ministry and Christian living. As worship artists/ministers we encourage each other to: a) Serve God; b) Serve the leaders over us; c) Serve the people we lead; d) Serve our team; e) Serve the song. We will give you opportunity to develop your servant heart!
During your first year you will be required to do a minimum of 22.5 hours each semester of “behind-the-scenes”, non-musical service. In your 2nd year, you will have the opportunity to serve in an internship under a music pastor/worship arts director of a local church or under Christian musicians in the community for the full school year.
Completion Requirements (2 Year, Associate of Arts in Music Ministry [64 Credits]):
- Complete the 64 credit program of studies as outlined below (coming soon!)
- Achieve a minimum 2.00 cumulative grade point average.
- As part of the 64 credit hour program complete a 2 credit internship in a local church receiving mentorship from ministry supervisor.
Program Objectives
It is expected that by the completion of these program requirements the student will have:
- Laid a foundation of personal integrity upon which to build a lifetime of ministry.
- Nurtured a reliance on the Holy Spirit for guidance, wisdom, purity and power in their personal life, family, and ministry.
- Gained an introductory understanding of Scripture and doctrinal themes.
- Learned how to use their musical gifts to worship God and to lead others in worship.
- Expanded their instrumental and/or vocal skills in theory, sight-reading, song-writing, arranging, technology, and performance.
- Developed team-building and leadership skills with a servant's heart, through hands-on service practicums and internships.