Richmond

Worship

Arts

Fellowship

The Richmond Worship Arts Fellowship (RWAF) is a unique vocational and Christian discipleship program for artists, as well as a coaching and training program for churches who want to better utilize artists. Through graduate courses, a paid internship as a worship artist in residence, one-on-one mentoring and many leadership and community service opportunities, fellows develop and apply their gifts in congregational settings while learning how to survive and thrive in church work.

  • For Artists

    The Richmond Worship Arts Fellowship equips Christian artists to hone their gifts and skills for the benefit of the local Church. As a fellow in the RWAF program, you will spend nine months as a part-time Worship Artist in Residence at one of our partner churches in the city of Richmond. During this time you will also receive training and discipleship to equip you to thrive in a career as a Christian artist working in a church setting.

  • For Churches

    The Richmond Worship Arts Fellowship equips local churches to partner with and work alongside Christian artists. As a partner church, you will hire and house a fellow as a part-time Worship Artist in Residence for nine months. During this time, you will work to help them use their artistic gifts and skills to serve the Body of Christ. You will also engage in a cohort of other local churches who will meet regularly to learn from and encourage each other in your shared experience of hosting an RWAF fellow.

  • For Richmond

    From a 10,000 foot perspective, the purpose of the Richmond Worship Arts Fellowship is to love, serve, and transform this city we love and call home. We know how powerful and transformative both art and the local church can be, and our vision is to see Richmond transformed by the love of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. We think that together, through the partnering of artists and local churches, God can and will do great things in and among us here in RVA.

Fellowship Themes

  • Through positions as worship artists in residence, fellows are empowered to be truly creative and innovative in how they use their artistic skills to build thriving congregations. They will work with creative leaders at their host churches, receive vocational mentorship, and collaborate creatively with the other fellows.

  • Church work is not easy. Jesus chose a very imperfect method - the Church - to serve as his body and yet there is no Plan B. Many Christians already have a level of disillusionment with the Church and/or with Christian community because of toxic church experiences, significant conflict and lack of reconciliation within Christian communities, and/or burnout. RWAF will provide fellows with practical tools and discipleship through a weekly roundtable dinner to combat church disillusionment head on so that they can go on to survive and thrive in church work.

  • RWAF is partnered with the John Leland Center for Theological Studies to provide this unique program. They are offering a Graduate Certificate in Worship Arts upon completion of this program. Fellows will take several graduate level classes during the fellows program that will focus on equipping them in Theology and the Arts.

  • Artists work best in collaboration, not in vacuums. Many worship artists do not have the opportunity to regularly collaborate with a diverse set of artists, particularly at a diverse set of churches. The fellows will spend dedicated time each week working collaboratively with the other fellows on projects related to this church internships. They will also be coached through putting together a small local conference on worship, arts, and justice which will require them to form community partnerships with local artists and Christian leaders.

FAQs for Fellows

  • A: A fellow must be able to live in Richmond, VA and commit full-time to this program for 9-months from late August/early September 2025 through May 2026. In addition, good applicants are interested in using their artistic abilities in creative ways to enhance worship in congregational settings. We are open to artists of many different types - take a look at the job descriptions from our host churches and see whether one feels like a good fit for you. Fellows are also expected to be serious about maturing in their faith and open to working with fellows, instructors, and mentors of diverse racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, generational, and denominational backgrounds.

  • A: Yes. This program places fellows as artists in residence at churches in Richmond, VA. In addition, we believe that the immersive, relational emphasis of this program is an important part of the transformational process. Host families are provided.

  • A: Unlike most fellows programs which cover a large percentage of their costs with fellow tuition, we only ask that fellows pay $500 as a way of committing to the program. This can be paid in multiple installments if needed. We have chosen this model so that this program will be accessible to a wider variety of individuals.

  • A: In short, all kinds of artists! But more practically, we are able to accept the types of artists that our participating host churches have requested for the program year. You can see the particular openings by viewing the current job descriptions available.

  • A: Fellows live with host families during the 9-month program. Their host family will be a member of the church congregation where they are serving as an artist in residence. Host families provide a private room for the fellow and may invite the fellow to partake in certain meals during the week. Fellows will spend one intentional evening each week with their host family.

  • A: On a regular week, fellows will work at their assigned church for about 24 hours. This may include time working on creative projects, working collaboratively with other fellows, attending staff meetings, participating in worship services and/or rehearsals, and connecting with their supervisor. They will also have one evening a week for Roundtable Dinner - a time where the interns and staff share a meal and have discussion (often with a guest speaker) on topics relating to dealing with feelings/experiences of Church disillusionment. Another evening will be occupied with intentional time with their host family. Fellows will participate in 1-2 seminary level courses each semester with an in-person class once a week, and will work together to organize and host a worship, arts & justice conference in the spring. Finally, fellows will be strongly encouraged to observe a Sabbath day each week to rest, spend time in restorative activities, and connect more deeply with God and with friends and family members.

FAQs for Churches

  • A: Right now, we are only working with churches in the Greater Richmond, VA area. We hope to scale to more locations in the future, but unfortunately if your church is outside of this geographic range, we cannot currently have your church be an RWAF host church. Otherwise, your church may be a good fit if you are interested in exploring new ways that the creative arts can enhance your church’s worship culture and bring people into deeper connection with God. We are excited about churches who want to innovate in worship and who want to work collaboratively with other churches in the area.

  • A: Churches pay to participate in the program along a sliding scale that is determined by church annual budget. In return, churches receive a part time artist in residence, assistance in writing a job description, recruitment help, personalized coaching, conference attendance, and participation in the four annual learning communities. Ruakh Arts will separately pay each fellow for their work as artists in residence so that the fellows are all paid equitably.

General Interest and Inquiries

Whether you are an artist or a church leader, if you are interested in RWAF, fill out the form below to let us know and we will contact you shortly with more information. Thanks!