New Fuller worship institute named in memory of Fred Brock

PASADENA, Calif. — For lovers of church music, good things are happening at Fuller Theological Seminary. The school has launched the Fred Bock Institute of Music to foster the creation of worship music and teach the elements of effective worship leadership.

The new institute is named in memory of the man known to many as the premiere leader of church music in his era. Fred Bock passed away in 1998 following complications from surgery.

Veteran church musician and composer Ed Willmington arrived at the Pasadena campus in March to become director of the Fred Bock Institute, the newest component of the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology and the Arts. Plans are under way to build a worship center that will house the Fred Bock Institute and provide classrooms and rehearsal space on the Fuller Campus.

“The general goal is to establish resources and training opportunities for present and future worship leaders in the church,” Willmington said as he discussed his new assignment.

The new director brings more than 30 years of experience in worship leadership and music education to Fuller. Before assuming his duties at the Fred Bock Institute he served as worship pastor at Scottsdale Bible Church, a post he held for 22 years.

Willmington also taught at what was then called Point Loma College, now Point Loma Nazarene University, and for eight years served on the pastoral staff at College Avenue Baptist Church in San Diego. He holds a D.M.A. in composition from the University of Arizona and is the composer/arranger of more than100 published works.

“There is a new interest in thinking about theology combined with the arts,” the musician said as he talked about the focus of the Brehm Center.

It meets a growing need for the integration of theology and worship at a time when many churches are struggling to find their footing in this area and worship style has become a hot button issue in more than a few congregations.

“The www is not the World Wide Web,” Willmington said. “It is the wild world of worship,” he quipped as he talked about the dramatic shift in music styles churches have experienced in recent decades.

Willmington said he is encouraged that there is interest in developing a wider set of styles for worship and that the Fred Bock Institute will work to bridge the gap between a range of viewpoints. He noted that Fuller already offers graduate degree programs with concentrations in worship, theology and the arts and currently has about 75 students associated with related emphases. There is a keen interest in how things will develop at the Fred Bock Institute, he said.

Worship communications
Another worship-related element Willmington views as a key issue to address is how leadership style and personality can hamper communication and sour relationships between worship leaders and pastors.

“If there is not some kind of trust relationship there it will affect the life of the church,” he said.

Willmington explained that he is excited about being able to share what he has learned from his experience in local church ministry as well as his creative background in music composition and theory.

The new director has plans to develop a mentoring program for worship leaders. He said there is also talk of establishing a certificate program to train people who do not have a formal background in music.

Although is it just getting started, the Fred Bock Institute will be a major component of the Brehm Center for Worship Theology and the Arts. The center was founded in 2001 to focus on the renewal and revitalization of worship in the church worldwide.

“We have many of the resources we need to do this kind of program,” said Fred Davison, executive director of the Brehm Center.

“With the changes that have occurred in the last 20 years, worship is continually changing and transforming. We really needed to have a person to be captain of this ship,” he said as he talked about the Fred Bock Institute and the important role Ed Willmington will have in its development.

Fitting tribute
The institute came about in part as a desire to provide a memorial in Bock’s honor. Bock was a longtime friend of William and Dolores Brehm who established an endowment to support the center that bears their name.

“We are filled with hope for what this will mean to the global church and to worship experiences,” said Lois Bock, in remarks at the institute’s dedication concert honoring her late husband, held at Bel Air Presbyterian Church last fall. “Music is powerful. It defines generations and cultures.”

Lois Bock described her husband as a “serious musician” who loved planning Sunday morning worship. He served as minister of music at Bel Air Presbyterian for 14 years followed by 18 years at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood.

“He felt that music had the power to reach into people’s lives and prepare them for real worship,” she said. “It made a difference in their lives.”

In addition to his church ministry, Fred Bock was a respected composer, arranger, clinician, organist, pianist and businessman. He built a music publishing company and acquired several others during his 35 years in the music publishing business. His family continues his legacy at the Fred Bock Music Companies.

For more information about the Fred Bock Institute, visit the Web site brehmcenter.com.

Published by Keener Communications Group, April 2006

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