Worship Theology

On this second episode of season two, Dr. Jeremy Perigo hosts worship historian Dr. Adam Perez of Belmont University. Together they discuss how the history of contemporary worship song impacts local churches today. With a specific focus on worship in the 1980s and 1990s, Perez shares how studying the history of Christian worship gives us important tools and skills to shape how we lead today. Discu...

In the first episode of season two, Dr. Jeremy Perigo sits down with Dr. Matthew Kaemingk, a public theologian based at Fuller Seminary. Together, they discuss Reformed worship, public theology, the need to become vocationally conversant as ministry leaders, and how to bridge the vast chasm between our worship and worship. Those who listen to the end will also hear theological ties between workpla...

In the final episode of the first season, join Dr. Jeremy Perigo as he welcomes back Geraldine Latty and Carey Luce as they discuss the practice of creativity and emotional breadth in worship. Hear topics such as the use of gospel choirs, planning time for creativity, utilizing musical tensions, emotional and musical manipulation, the theology of the Spirituals, building community through singing,...

Join Dr. Jeremy Perigo with guests Kenny & Claire Hilliard as they examine the importance of lyrical theology. Kenny and Claire are Nashville-based songwriters with a passion for serving the local church. This podcast was recorded live at Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa during a worship arts and theology class.

In this episode, Dr. Jeremy Perigo sits down with Rich and Lydia di Castiglione, UK-based worship leaders and songwriters, to discuss writing worship songs that simultaneously acknowledge pain, suffering, grief, and hope. They explore how worship songs can express empathy and the entire emotive bandwidth of the Christian life. Hear the stories and theology behind their worship songwriting, which e...

Join Dr. Jeremy Perigo as he sits down with London-based musician and educator Carey Luce as they explore creativity in church music.  Carey is a lecturer at London School of Theology and recently served as visiting worship artist in residence at Dordt University. Their discussion topics include curating musical creativity, education models for improvisation, Stevie Wonder & Bela Fleck, church mus...

Join Dr. Jeremy Perigo as he hosts New Testament scholar Dr. Conrad Gempf as they discuss worship in the New Testament. Dr. Gempf has taught at London School of Theology for years and is a creative voice bridging the academy and the Church. Discussion topics include the Lord’s Supper, biblical interpretation, worshipping Jesus, the cultural backgrounds of the first Christians, worship in Corinth,...

Join Dr. Jeremy Perigo, along with Sara and Sam Hargreaves, as they discuss the crucial intersection between gathered worship and scattered worship. Sam and Sara help give theological insight and creative worship practices that connect our Sunday worship with Monday work. The Hargreaves are scholarly practitioners serving both as theological educators and worship leaders in numerous church context...

Join us for this unique discussion hosted by Dr. Jeremy Perigo on multicultural churches and multicultural worship with Dr. Dan Backens and Pastor Kevin Turpin of New Life Church in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Drawing from over twenty years in ministry leading a multicultural church together, these two leaders discuss challenges around race, church planting, and staying in relationships in ministry....

Dr. Tanya Riches, a researcher and Senior Lecturer at Hillsong College, joins us in unpacking the intersections of her ministry and scholarly work in mega churches, Pentecostal liturgical theology, and Aboriginal-led Australian congregation.  Don’t miss this stimulating discussion around branding worship, Pentecostal worship, Hillsong, navigating ethnography and theology, experiencing the Holy Spi...

Join Dr. Jeremy Perigo and Dr. Eric Sarwar, a missiologist, minister, and musical peacemaker, as they unpack Eric’s musical peacemaking ministry and his recent Ph. D. dissertation, “Psalms, Islam, and Salam: The Punjabi Psalter as Public Witness in Pakistan.” Interfaith dialogue, worship, mission, musical genres in Pakistan, liturgical identities, the role of the Psalms, ethnomusicology, and peace...

Dr. Jeremy Perigo sits down with Dr. Lester Ruth to discuss the theological roots of the contemporary worship movement. Drawing from Ruth’s recent collaborative work with Dr. Swee Hong Lim titled A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship, this podcast unpacks two streams of theological and liturgical development in contemporary praise and worship. Hear how theological and liturgical shifts over t...

Dr. Jeremy Perigo and Dr. Simon Chan sit down to discuss Chan's book Liturgical Theology. Chan spans a unique space in his academic and pastoral work serving as an Assemblies of God minister and systematic theologian focusing on liturgical theology and spirituality.  Join this discussion as they delve into weaknesses of Evangelical and Charismatic theologies and practices of worship, drawing in in...

Join Dr. Jeremy Perigo in this special conversation with Prof. Paul Mealor, one of the world’s most performed living composers. Paul’s Motet, Ubi caritas, was performed in front of 2.5 billion viewers at the Royal Wedding Ceremony of His Royal Highness Prince William and Catherine Middleton (now TRH The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge) at Westminster Abbey. His compositions have topped classical and p...

Dr. Jeremy Perigo sits down with Dr. Constance Cherry to discuss her decades of church leadership, scholarly reflection, and university teaching. This episode focuses on the biblical foundations of Christian worship and the need to be intentional about the shape and structure of corporate worship. Every church has a liturgy, even if leaders aren’t familiar with the term or react against the idea o...

Recent discussion around theology and worship music often centers around getting lyrics more "theological" or getting the form or structure of worship "right." Dr. Nathan Myrick’s book Music for Others reveals that singing orthodox lyrics might not be enough. In this discussion, Dr. Jeremy Perigo sits down with Myrick to discuss the ethical issues in congregational worship song. They cover a lot o...

Join Dr. Jeremy Perigo as he sits down with Dr. Angela Perigo, Director of Faith Formation at Dordt University, to discuss how to recognize a divine call to create corporate services that engage all of God’s people in worship. Drawing from Angela’s recent doctoral worship that focuses on a Spirit-shaped ecclesiology, they unpack theological and liturgical issues involved in increasing engagement w...

In part two of this discussion, Jeremy Perigo and Graham Kendrick unpack various topics surrounding leading and planning worship, including the pastoral and theological demands of leadership, liturgical songs, public praise, spiritual warfare, trending songs, the local church, and much more. Graham finishes the discussion with well-tested words of wisdom for worship leaders. Join us for part two o...

From hymnbooks to transparencies and cathedrals to coffee shops, Graham Kendrick and Jeremy Perigo discuss the massive shifts in Christian worship in the UK over the past few decades. The conversation quickly turns to the theology of congregational song. In addition to content, how does the form of the song help carry certain types of messages? What biblical themes are missing in worship songs? Ho...

Dr. Jeremy Perigo sits down with Geraldine Latty, a London-based songwriter, performer, worship leader, vocal coach, and choir director, to discuss the ever-expanding role of leading corporate worship. They work together to cover the gamut of related topics, including defining worship leadership, passing down the tradition, performance in worship, theology & song, planned v. spontaneous, personhoo...

“Performance” is often a dirty word within popular-level worship training resources. Yet, in a recent monograph, Church Music Through the Lens of Performance, Marcell Steuernagel proposes in worship that “all participants are performing in church music.” Through an interdisciplinary approach focused on performance studies, Steuernagle opens up fresh frameworks for viewing music, identity, and cong...

Dr. Jeremy Perigo sits down with Dr. Diane Chandler to discuss the intersection of spiritual formation and ministry praxis. Drawing from Chandler’s Christian Spiritual Formation: An Integrative Approach to Personal and Relational Wholeness, this podcast focuses on vocation, burnout, physical health, communal spirituality, and how imago Dei and imago Christi invite us to a more holistic and integra...

Bieber, Mel Gibson, Rob Bell, stadium rock culture, and VIP packages to meet worship arts are impacting our theology and practice of worship. How is media shifting our worship? Are we selling worship? Do we worship Christian celebrities? In this episode, Dr. Jeremy Perigo hosts Prof. Pete Ward of Durham University in the UK as they discuss Pete’s research into the rise of worship as an economic co...

In this episode, Drs. Jeremy Perigo and Glenn Packiam explore a Charistmatic theology of worship and its impact on the study and practice of Christian worship. We also unpack some of the themes from Glenn's recent books, Worship and the World to Come and The Resilient Pastor.