The church

worship leader

Seth Carruthers, '09

Seth Carruthers is pursuing a calling.

"The real drive for me is the motivation to teach people what worship is and why we do it," explained Carruthers. "Sometimes, that means relearning what we thought was worship. I am really burdened with a desire to see the passion that can be pursued through authentic worship reignited, particularly in older generations."

Carruthers, who graduated last year with a bachelor's degree in church music, is the worship pastor at First Baptist Church of Affton, Mo. There he directs the 20 to 25 member choir, works with the church's instrumentalists and weekly leads congregational worship.

The church's music has long taken on a decidedly traditional tone, a style Carruthers continues to use in an effort to lead his church's congregation-largely composed of older adults-in an effort to elevate its worship. Instead of opting to change music styles, he sees his mission a bit differently.

"I want to meet them where they are and try to use the music they love to inspire them to worship Christ," he said.

The job began while he was a student at MBU, thanks largely to one of Carruther's professors. Dr. Larry Smith, MBU professor of music, had heard about the church's need and immediately thought of Carruthers. It's a scenario that plays itself out often in MBU's fine arts department.

"We are continually looking for ways to plug our students into positions that pertain to their area of study," said Dr. Ladd Faszold, chairperson of the Fine Arts Division. "We use our networks to ensure MBU grads have every opportunity to secure meaningful positions once they leave here."