Cedarville Hosts
Fifth Annual
Worship 4:24
Conference
On January 24–25, more
than 580 worship pastors,
musicians, praise teams,
bands, tech crews, and
Cedarville worship students
attended the Worship 4:24
Conference featuring Travis
Cottrell, worship leader for
BethMoore’s national conference.Worship
4:24, co-sponsored by the State Convention
of Baptists in Ohio and Cedarville’s
Department of Music and Worship, takes
its name from John 4:24, which instructs
Christ-followers to worship God “in spirit
and in truth.”
According to Dr. Roger O’Neel,
Associate Professor of Worship and Music,
the conference is designed to equip local
churches to effectively lead worship.
Because effective worship looks different
to different church bodies, the conference
included numerous breakout sessions.
Some addressed foundational concepts
about worship and why we worship.
Others addressed practical issues such as
multigenerational worship, congregational
singing, how to find and train musicians,
music licensing, and how to integrate video
and other forms of technology.
This year’s conference included Cottrell,
Worship Pastor at Englewood Baptist
Church in Jackson, Tennessee. For the
last 15 years, Cottrell has also served as
worship leader for Beth Moore’s Living
Proof Live conferences in all 50 states
and abroad. He was joined by his Senior
Pastor, Ben Mandrell, and together they
spoke about cultivating a dynamic pastor-
worship pastor relationship.
The Worship 4:24 Conference has
become the largest conference Cedarville
hosts during the school year. O’Neel
noted that more videographers attended
the conference this year than ever before
as more churches are considering the
ways that well-planned lighting, audio,
and video components contribute to an
atmosphere of worship.
The diversity in attendees reflects the
interdisciplinary focus of the music and
worship program. “When the program
was designed six years ago, we brought
12 worship pastors together to form an
advisory council,” O’Neel said. “We asked,
‘What skills and competencies do you need
to do your job today, and where is this field
headed for the future?’ With their input,
we designed a flexible degree that begins
with 12 hours of theology — this is in
addition to students’ Bible minor. Students
take additional courses in music, worship,
audio and video production, and theatre.”
Among the conference highlights was
the opportunity for Cedarville students
to hear a wide range of perspectives
about how different churches approach
worship. Eric Stigall ’15 appreciated the
session he attended on transformational
worship with Gary Jennings, formerly with
Lifeway Christian Resources. Stigall left
the session inspired by Jennings’ vision
that transformational worship points
people to God beyond the Sunday morning
experience. “Powerful worship should
transform us as believers and reorient
our lives toward God throughout the
week,” Stigall said. “The biblical emphasis
on worship and experiential learning
from professionals in the field makes this
conference one of the best.”
O’Neel is encouraged by t he
professional relationships that have formed
as a result of this conference, and he sees it
as a win for all involved. “Worship 4:24 not
only exposes our students to some of the
best worship leaders in the country, but it
also exposes us and our worship program
to them,” he said.
Cedarville’s Worship program was
named “Best of the Best” in 2012 by
Worship Leader Magazine
.
spirit + truth
W O R D M A R K L O G O
