ICDF Diploma or Certificate in Dance Ministry

The ICDF Diploma in Dance Ministry is offering, free-of-charge, tempting one-week tasters of some of the papers in the ICDF Diploma.

Tasters include tutor guidance and feedback!

• Read the Diploma Newsflash (November 2020)

Examples of tasters:

• Outreach in Community (in this case, the online community);
• Arts in Christian Ministry;
• Spontaneous Dance and more…

One-week tasters may be recognised as portions of the relevant ICDF Diploma papers, if you decide to continue with this study. 

Contact: Debbie Bright

Diploma Course (2022)

ICDF has launched the Diploma in Dance Ministry, an online course provided alongside Unity College in Australia.

As part of ICDF's vision to see all Christian dancers equipped and supported in their calling or vocation, the Diploma provides an opportunity to consider various aspects of dance ministry through academic reflection and practical application. The theory is undertaken online and the practical application in your church and community.

Course Dates

There are 3 trimesters a year starting in February, May and September, and students can start at any one of them with one or more subjects. Trimesters are 12 weeks long.

• Trimester 1: February 14 to May 6
• Trimester 2: May 23 to August 12
• Trimester 3: August 29 to November 18

Course Content

25 credits covering:

• Biblical foundation and history of dance in the Christian church and community (3 credits)
• Arts in Christian Ministry (3 credits)
• Dance in the worship service (3 credits)
• Working effectively with others (2 credits)
• Outreach and Christian Community (2 credits)
• Leading Workshops and Intercession (2 credits)
• Dance class and conditioning (2 credits)
• Spontaneous dance and composition (2 credits)
• Project (2 credits)
• Christian life elective (2 credits)
• Conference elective (1 credit)
• ICDF Network elective (1 credit)

Certificate Course

15 credits of your choice of Diploma course.

Paula Douthett Scholarship

The Paula Douthett Scholarship pays for half the fees of the ICDF Diploma and is awarded as money becomes available through the ICDF Foundation on the basis of both need and merit.

Scholarship applications

• ICDF Diploma Scholarship Application Form
• Scholarship closing date: 15 September 2022

Contact

For course enquiries and to register, please email:

Christine Jayakaran - India

I personally believe that God orchestrated my study with the ICDF at just the right time and for his purposes. My heart has always been inclined towards the rehabilitation and restoration of those who have been marked by child sexual abuse. I had been waiting on God for almost 6 years as to a word on what he wanted me to do in this respect. In 2019 I was invited to the ICDF Gathering at Kanyakumari and things took a very interesting turn. At the gathering in one of the sessions I heard God tell me that he will use dance as the tool to bring healing to people in my church and in wider circles. I proceeded to enrol in the Diploma course and over the next 3 years, as I studied and applied the course to my everyday life, I found God was doing something first in me before doing anything through me. The course was so interesting and extensive that not only did I enjoy studying it academically, but it also practically helped me in my pastoral role at our church here in India. Every subject was so distinctively different and every semester was packed with so much to process and apply.

Today, I help children in an orphanage by teaching them dance. I work with them to help them overcome inhibitions and find that slowly restoration is happening in their precious hearts and minds as they allow themselves to move and be transformed by music and movement. I hope to someday have a school for the arts through which adults and children alike will find breakthrough and blessing.

I’m grateful to all the faculty of the Diploma course who graciously encouraged and taught me along the way. Each of you are such an inspiration and the things I learnt from you will keep inspiring me on my journey as a dance minister.

ROMINA PAOLA CINA - SAN CARLOS DE BARILOCHE, ARGENTINA

Since being awarded a Paula Douthett scholarship I have completed two subjects and have learnt so much about ministering to God and others. It has been helpful to read about the history and be inspired by stories of other dance ministers. There were many things I did not know about the ministry of praise and worship and now I can pass on to others what I have learnt so that they too can dance and worship God in freedom. Another thing that has been a blessing to me in the course are corrections of my work by my tutor who has been mentoring and counselling me on this journey.
 

NOEL FILEMON - PARAMARIBO, SURINAME

I’ve been involved in dance ministry for more than 20 years now. In all those years I’ve done a lot of self-study, participated in dance workshops and conferences in order to equip myself and to share the knowledge gained, with others in the area of Christian Dance and movement.

 It has been my heart’s desire for many years to get the right and proper in-depth training concerning dance ministry.  I've been looking for something on a certain level that could challenge me and give me the right tools to become more effective in what I already do and have achieved in dance ministry.  Since being awarded a Paula Douthett scholarship I have completed my second trimester and it has been an amazing journey so far. I’ve been stretched and motivated by all I’ve learned. It is all that I expected and even more. It is a comprehensive study and it is more than just dance and dance ministry. My horizon has been broadened. The course is also an excellent way to connect and fellowship with others.

Tonia Nifong – Colorado, USA

I currently dance and teach with Flourish Arts, a non-profit that uses the arts and redemptive creativity as a catalyst for healing and raising awareness of social justice issues (www.flourisharts.org). We maintain a community arts program, a dance company and a visual arts component.

My experience with the ICDF course has been excellent. More often than not, not much is taught or shared about the history of the arts and dance in the church. I initially started the course to learn more about worship and the arts throughout history, as well as God's place for it in modern times. I feel strongly called to be a leader in the arena of redemptive creativity, and the ICDF course has helped me to clarify what that might look like in my life.

Doreen Chew – Melbourne, Australia

I have always loved to dance and even more to worship God with dance. I took the ICDF course because I am keen to find out what it means to be a true worshipper of our Creator through dance and the best way to do it. The materials and resources in the course are useful, substantial, accurate and helpful to where I am at. I am also grateful for the heartfelt dedication of the tutors and their encouragement and belief in me. An online course works when tutors and students work together towards the same passion and vision for what God is already doing amongst us. To God be the glory. Amen!

Esme Clarke – Perth, Australia

I am a wife, mother and homeschooler. I only started dancing when I was 25 years old and I have never looked back – it has been such an inspiration and source of worship for me. I am hoping to become an advanced Contemporary dancer and use dance in ministry in the future. I enjoy learning the theory behind dancing, which the ICDF course is teaching me as it has really helped me to understand dance more and more. My husband and I with our children are missionaries and have spent two years in Rwanda 2012/2013. I hope to be able to use dance on the mission field  when we return to Rwanda in 2016.

Robbee Stafford – Oklahoma, USA

As someone who is passionate about using dance as a form of worship and is in dance ministry leadership, I was excited to find ICDF’s course of study after researching available online options. I believed that this course was the best to further equip me in serving my church and the dance students at Oral Roberts University as well as feed my desire to learn and continue my education. Boy was I right! I have not been disappointed.

Even though I have been involved in dance ministry for many years, I still feel the need to receive a stronger Biblical foundation, gain new insights, and connect globally with other Christian dance artists. ICDF has allowed me to do just that. The guidance and feedback from Mary Jones and the other tutors has been extremely helpful and encouraging as I have journeyed through the coursework processing the information. I am grateful to be introduced to new resource materials presented in the different subjects that I can add to my personal and professional library. It excites me to be able to pass on all that I have learned with my students and dance community, especially the history of dance in the church. My study with ICDF’s Dance Ministry Training has allowed me to be cognitively stimulated while at the same time giving me opportunity to grow spiritually and to apply all I learn practically.