Worship Academy

Worship Academy

What is Worship Academy?

Worship Academy (WA) is a year-long program hosted by The Village Church’s Worship Ministry, designed to disciple and train high school and middle school students as the next generation of worship leaders. The first class began in 2014 with a handful of students and volunteers learning a few worship songs in an organic, spontaneous setting. While WA has taken on various forms over the years, its heart and vision have remained the same. Students gather once a month for rehearsals, receive coaching from our worship staff and volunteers, and are given resources to support both spiritual formation and practical growth in worship leadership. Each semester, they work toward leading a five-song worship set for their peers at the final Student Worship Night in November and May.

Our Vision and Hope

Our vision and hope for WA is for students to be cultivated...

  • In their identity as children of God, to live a life of worship (Romans 12:1,2), and to experience a culture where spiritual growth and personal holiness are at the forefront.
  • In their belonging to a gospel-centered community. We want to provide a consistent space for vulnerability, encouragement, and prayer. Looking to Christ's perfect example of humility (Phil. 2:2–8), we encourage students to consider others over self and to celebrate each other, especially those who share similar gifts.
  • In finding their purpose as disciples of Jesus Christ. Students are not just the church of tomorrow, but they are the church today! We want to train up a generation of believers who are active servants in the church and not just consumers. We encourage students to pursue excellence in their musical craft while walking with humility (Colossians 3:23).

The Worship Initiative

WA operates as a hybrid program where students split time between online resources and in-person gatherings. The Worship Initiative is an online training resource for worship ministries to empower worship leaders and musicians toward their calling with numerous in-depth craft training and genuine heart training videos. Each family participating in WA will be given an account from the church to access these resources. You can watch a quick video tour of the site here. Students will receive emails with announcements and assignments in between each in-person gathering.

Monthly Gatherings

We will host in-person rehearsals one Saturday a month at our Highland Village Worship Center. Each rehearsal will start with a small devotional/encouragement before music training begins.

  • First Gathering – Students divide into breakout groups to practice parts with their assigned coaches. Worship night placement will take place after this rehearsal.
  • Second Gathering – Students join together to run through each song as a full band/choir and practice transitions.
  • Final Gathering – Students participate in a dress rehearsal one or two days before the student-led worship night. During this gathering, students share a meal, pray together, and work through the setlist with transitions.

Apply for Worship Academy

Worship Academy is a training space for already established instrumentalists and vocalists to learn how to use their gifts and talents to serve the church through worship ministry. Instrumentalists should have prior experience playing their instrument before joining the program. If you have students who are interested in playing an instrument but have not taken lessons or received training, please contact agray@thevillagechurch.net for a recommended list of music teachers.

The application window for Worship Academy 2025-2026 is now closed, and all students have been contacted. To join an interest list for next school year's class, please contact Will Raies.