Beyond Sundays
Surrounded by a community of faith—in classes and chapel by day, Bible studies and worship team rehearsals by night—Dustin understood that his musical gifts shouldn’t wait around for Sunday mornings. At the heart of his worship arts major he found theology and spiritual formation, which complemented the practical experience he received on the Campus Ministry Team and during internships at two Orange City churches. Now a church worship director in Sioux Falls, Dustin is also pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Calvin Theological Seminary to further develop his pastoral gifts.What are some of your responsibilities as worship director?
I lead our worship ministry, which primarily includes planning and leading Sunday morning services and leading worship for different programs throughout the week, including the high school youth group and our women’s Bible study.
What are the most satisfying aspects of your career?
I enjoy being part of a local church and having a specific piece of my community that I get to invest in over a long-term period. I have a great group of guys in our youth group and am entering my third year leading our small group. Seeing them fall in love with Jesus and grow in their faith has been a favorite part of working at Shalom.
In what ways did you grow in your faith at Northwestern?
Nothing strengthens my faith more than seeing God’s faithfulness to his people firsthand. Northwestern gave me so many opportunities to see God’s faithfulness, whether that was through people I met and hearing their stories, worship experiences I got to be a part of, or learning from professors or the speakers who shared at chapels or Praise + Worship. Faith became ingrained into my daily life at NWC, and that helped me grow tremendously.
What led you to decide to pursue a career in worship arts?
During my freshman year, I strongly felt the call to ministry through conversations and experiences I had. I switched my other major from history to biblical + theological studies and leaned into worship arts with new enthusiasm and excitement for what God was calling me to—and I never looked back.
How did NWC prepare you for what you’re doing now?
The worship arts program does a great job of blending practicality, philosophy and personal development. Classes prepared me for the nuts and bolts of what I do on a daily basis as a worship director. Other courses gave me the knowledge and ability to think about more than just the details of the upcoming Sunday. Making goals, having a mission and vision for what worship looks like in whatever context I’m in, and grounding that worship in biblical truth—all of that comes from those more philosophical worship classes.
What are the strengths of NWC’s worship arts major?
Many people think of “worship” as just the singing in church on Sunday, but it is so much more than that. Northwestern students have opportunities to lean into their passions, whether that’s programming lights, songwriting, making art, writing different forms of prayer ... the list goes on. Not every worship leader is a singer who plays acoustic guitar; Drew Schmidt and the staff and faculty do a great job of celebrating diversity within the program to serve the church in so many more ways than just playing music.