how worship equippers was born

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Dear Friend in Christ,

Have you ever sensed that something vital is missing in much of today’s worship? A depth, a reverence, a holy awe that truly draws the Church into the presence of God?

I know that longing well—because it shaped my own spiritual journey and ultimately gave birth to Worship Equippers for Christ, a ministry devoted to helping the Church rediscover the ancient paths of Christian worship.

I grew up in an biblically faithful evangelical Lutheran church in Fort Wayne, Indiana—often called “the city of churches.” My childhood was filled with the rhythms of Sunday worship, Lutheran schooling, and a Christ-centered home.  But like so many of my generation in the 1960s, I was swept away by the cultural tides of the time and drifted far from my faith.

Years later, as a husband and father busy building a career in business, I found myself grappling with a deep spiritual emptiness that no amount of success or activity could fill. Then, in His mercy, God brought a Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) missionary into my life who boldly shared the gospel with such clarity and love that I could no longer resist. That providential encounter changed everything. I repented of my sin, surrendered my life to Jesus, and began to experience the transforming reality of becoming a new creation in Christ.

In time, I sensed a clear call to vocational ministry. My wife and I sold our home and business, entered theological studies, and joined the staff of Cru in Washington, D.C., where we served alongside churches to equip believers for evangelism and discipleship. It was also during this season that the Lord began to deepen my understanding of the role of worship in shaping and evangelizing cultures.

One day, while reading the writings of A.W. Tozer, I came across a sentence that pierced my heart:

“Worship is the missing jewel of the evangelical church.”
 

I realized that while evangelicals excelled in preaching and mission, much of the depth, beauty, and awe-filled reverence that marked the historic worship of the Church had been lost. That realization reshaped my life’s ministry and ignited a passion to see biblical worship restored in the life of God’s people.

Soon after, I stepped away from Cru staff to further my theological education and plant a church where I could put into practice what I was learning about worship. In time, the Lord expanded my calling into an itinerant teaching ministry—serving at retreats, seminars, and conferences on worship renewal.

In 1996, Worship Equippers for Christ was born to help facilitate this growing ministry. Along the way, the Lord connected me with other “worship equippers”—teachers, worship leaders, musicians, and sacred artists—who shared the same vision of renewal.

One of the greatest treasures I discovered in this season was the Book of Common Prayer—a resource that is 80% Scripture and 20% ancient liturgies. It became a powerful bridge, introducing Christians from many traditions to the richness of historic Christian worship and helping them encounter the awe and wonder of God’s presence in deeper ways.

In 2003, I was ordained as a Missionary Priest and Pastor, which opened new doors to serve the broader Body of Christ. While my accountability is within the Anglican tradition, Worship Equippers has never sought to favor one denomination over another. Our calling has always been to help Christians of every background rediscover the richness, reverence, and missional power of biblical worship—renewing hearts, uniting the Church, and re-engaging God’s people in His mission.

Over the past three decades, Worship Equippers has walked alongside pastors, churches, and leaders who are longing for authentic renewal. Together we have seen lives transformed, congregations strengthened, and the awe of God restored in worship. 

Today, I believe we are living in a kairos moment—a God-appointed time for renewal.

• Gen Z and Millennials are longing for depth. Many are disillusioned by consumer-driven, entertainment-focused worship. They’re searching for authenticity, reverence, and a connection to something bigger than themselves.
   
• Historic Christian worship gives them roots and community. It connects them to the same faith that has shaped believers for 2,000 years and grounds them in something enduring.
   
• Through Worship Equippers, many learn about the one, holy, catholic (universal), and apostolic Church confessed in the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds—and the historic divisions that have fractured the unity and integrity of worship.
   
• They discover how biblical patterns of worship—rooted in both the Old and New Testaments—have been expressed through the centuries to unify the Body of Christ, empower mission, and ignite revival and spiritual awakening.
   

In a time when the Church is often fragmented and distracted, this call back to the ancient paths of worship is more urgent than ever.

As Worship Equippers steps into the future, we remain fully committed to this vision of renewal. By God’s grace, we will continue to:

• Collaborate with pastors and ministry leaders to restore biblical, historic, Spirit-filled worship in their unique contexts.
   
• Serve as a bridge for evangelicals, charismatics, and sacramental Christians who are longing to explore and restore the ancient paths of worship in their communities.
   
• Provide retreats, seminars, and worship gatherings that equip believers to cultivate a lifestyle of worship that prepares the way for evangelism and discipleship in their homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces.
   
• Help equip church planters and their teams to lay a foundation of worship that will endure for generations until the return of Christ.
   

We believe that as the Church in this generation returns to the ancient, biblical rhythms of worship, we will experience a renewed sense of awe, unity, and mission that will advance God’s kingdom in our communities and throughout the world.

Whether you are a pastor, ministry leader, church planter, missionary, or simply a worshiper longing for a deeper encounter with God, I invite you to join us in rediscovering the ancient paths of Christian worship for the renewal of the Church and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Worship Equippers does not bring a “one-size-fits-all” program. Instead, we listen, pray, and discern with pastors and leaders what God is already doing in their context. Together, we shape retreats, seminars, and worship gatherings that breathe fresh life into local churches and communities.

If you’d like to begin a conversation, please feel free to email me at DSchultz@worshipequippers.org or call 703.297.8139.

Thank you for co-laboring with us in the work of God’s kingdom—and for helping us build a legacy of worship renewal that will outlast us for the glory of God.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)
 

Your servant in Christ,
Dean+

The Rev. Dean F. Schultz
Founder & Executive Director
Worship Equippers for Christ