Joe and Becky Cruse changing worship with new "worship school" ^Featured

Husband and Wife Gospel Musicians Create Online School from Real World Experience for Students Seeking Work Force Skills without Financial Aid

Today, education costs are higher than ever. And according to Joe Cruse, they are going to stay there for a while. Surging prices and debts have both educators and students looking to new ways of learning and, more importantly, proving to employers that what is learned will be useful in a competitive workplace.

Joe Cruse had devoted his life to worship music. He spent two decades touring with The Cruse Family musical ministry. His musical career saw him record on 25 popular albums, and win two GMA Dove awards (an award given for outstanding gospel music). After becoming a Worship and Praise Leader at a church in Texas, he went on to tour again with a renowned evangelist and spread the message of his music even further.

When Joe started Worshipworks Ministries International, it was intended as a way to pass on the most valuable lessons gained from his long and storied career. His mission was to find a way to help others find success in the same field he had done so well with, keeping quality and affordability always as the highest priority.

“In my experience, those called to the ministry find it nearly impossible to obey God’s calling when student loan debt is hanging over their heads, and haunting them in every major decision they make.” said Joe. “Our philosophy is that a quality academic and spiritual education should be affordable to everyone.”

Worshipworks is home to a unique business model within the online education community. They are the only organization to combine online courses with internships in hand-selected affiliate churches, employing a staff of eleven administrators and staff. Their previous career made the Joe Cruse and his wife, Becky, confident in the presentation of their lessons, and eager to face the new challenges they would face as educators.

“What costs [them] the most is the accreditation,” Cruse said. “To become eligible to give out federal student loans, you have to pay outrageous fees. Most schools pass this cost down to their students in the form of tuition. We’ve opted out of the federal loan program and hopefully, with the savings we pass on, our students shouldn’t need it.”

The ability to bypass eligibility for federal loans is badly needed for educators in specialized fields, such as the Cruse’s music ministry. Because their materials are online, the Joe and Becky are spared from having to open a brick-and-mortar campus which might not be sustainable on its own. Because they are an independent school, the Cruses are free from the obligation of offering courses unrelated the students’ primary interests – something that Joe feels is an unnecessary burden for learners.

“Young people are getting more and more disillusioned with a traditional college path. They want their coursework to be focused on their career, but the people actually entrenched in the career aren’t the ones teaching the class. We’ve spent our lives living these principles professionally, and we want to teach it our own way.”

The Cruses feel this boutique education model is suitable for professionals in a specialized field with a well-established network. “It’s all about networks now. People are slow to hire strangers off the street. It’s about who knows who. I wouldn’t have started the school if I hadn’t met so many professionals on tour. And we’re only as strong as our affiliate churches.”

Worshipworks Ministries is accredited through Transworld Accrediting Commission. With a spiritual focus outside of mainstream federal restrictions on coursework, far more freedom and flexibility is possible. As highly esteemed within the religious community, scores of Transworld member institutions form the networks the graduates of Worshipworks will likely do business with.

“There will always be a way for you to share what you love. You find your people, and you get on the same page with them. It’s really all we’re doing at this school – finding the people that will make the ministry grow.”

Some of Cruse’s people have found their place as instructors, on subjects ranging from theology to live guitar performance. The instructors he uses include New York studio musicians, touring evangelists, songwriters, and even studio techs. All of them have rich careers outside of academia, and were entrusted by Cruse to bring their experience to this unique coursework.

In spite of not participating in federal loan programs, Worshipworks is still a fully accredited school – one, the Cruses ensure, which will get students into the workplace quickly. Worshipworks Ministries International now offers classes in theology and ministry as well as songwriting, music performance, and the studio recording process.

“It’s an art onto its own. There’s no textbook that teaches you what to expect on your first day of recording, or how to work with the Worship Leaders and tech crew. We want to help bridge the gap from something people do as a passion into a career, so this passion will find more exposure and more reward.”

Worshipworks Ministries reflects the changing face of education in America. In fields like the religious music business, the path to career success is not always cut and dry. The call to teach often surpasses enormous obstacles along the way– a call that, for Joe Cruse, is purely divine.