Leader
Certificate in Leadership Ministry in Music — September through December
"Learn to lead."
Progression Arc
Weeks 1–4
Foundations. Building a theological framework for worship leading. Core musicianship assessment and development plan.
Weeks 5–8
Practice. Leading segments of Sunday worship under mentorship. Developing repertoire, arranging for your context.
Weeks 9–12
Integration. Leading full services independently. Post-service debriefs. Assessment and discernment for Path 2.
Core Competencies
Theology of Worship
Biblical foundations for why we sing and what worship leading actually is.
Song Selection
Choosing songs that serve the congregation — not just the band.
Service Design
Planning a service arc that follows scriptural patterns.
Musical Leadership
Leading a band or ensemble with organization, communication, and service.
Congregational Guidance
We create the space for God's people to sing. We aren't performers.
Personal Formation
Prayer, reflection, mentorship, and the inner life of leadership.
Commitment - 12 Weeks
Weekly sessions (60–90 min) · Sunday service · Post-service potluck · Expect 3–5 hours per week.
Pastor
Certificate in Pastoral Ministry in Music — January through May
"Learn to shepherd."
Path 2 moves beyond skill into character. The worship leader is not just someone who plays well — they are a pastor who happens to lead through music. This path deepens theological formation and uncovers the pastoral ministry of worship leading.
Advanced Curriculum
Pastoring Through Music
Prayer and planning for upcoming seasons and services.
Biblical Theology
Deep formation in aligning our singing with the passages read and taught on Sundays.
Team Building
Recruiting, training, and auditioning volunteer musicians. Learn to grow a team.
The Iona Pilgrimage
During Lent, the cohort travels to Iona Abbey in Scotland for a five-day pilgrimage. Walking the same paths that Columba walked, worshipping in the ancient abbey, reflecting on vocation and calling in the place where it all began. Cohort members fundraise their trip as a form of ministry training. It is an extraordinary formative experience — and for many, the moment everything clicks.
Capstone
Lead the full musical life of the team and congregation from Easter through Pentecost. We take what we've learned on the journey--the theology, the skills, the heart behind it all--and shepherd out of our calling and gifting, for the glory of God.
Commitment - 15 Weeks
Weekly sessions · Sunday service leadership · Iona Pilgrimage · Capstone · Expect 5–6 hours per week.
Teacher
Certificate in Teaching Ministry in Music — Fall & Spring
"Learn to teach."
There is no faster way to find the gaps in your own understanding than to teach. Path 3 is not a classroom. It is a year of formation through the act of forming others.
Path 3 participants return to co-lead the next cohorts through both semesters — facilitating weekly sessions, giving feedback after services, running debriefs, and bringing their own recent experience to bear on someone just starting out.
Formation Through Teaching
Take the Reins
Lead Path 1 & Path 2 with staff mentorship and coaching. Give back what you have been given.
Pilgrimage Guide
Journey alongside Path 2 candidates as a guide towards Iona Abbey, offering the perspective of someone who has recently been where they seek to go.
Final Capstone
A project of vocational discernment — learning to lead out of the specific giftings, personality, and calling God has for them
Commitment - Fall & Spring
Lead Path 1 & Path 2 · Weekly sessions · Final Capstone · Iona Pilgrimage · 6–8 hours per week.
Multiplier
The Iona School Commission — Embark
"Learn to multiply."
We call this path Embark, because it's not a program. It is a commissioning. Upon completing all three paths, the candidate receives The Iona School Embarkation — formal permission and equipping to launch their own Iona School wherever God sends them.
This is the multiplication moment. You are no longer just a worship leader — you are a new origin point. You carry the full program, the heart, and the community of The Iona School into a new context.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
What You Receive
The Iona School Embark Diploma - Professional Certification in Ministry · Lifetime access to the Iona School materials & training resources · Ongoing community with the network of Iona School churches & graduates.