Dr. Greg Woodward

Church Music Coordinator

Welcome to the Church Music Ministries Department of New Orleans Baptist Seminary. New Orleans is a city known for its unique blend of music, food, and culture and provides a marvelous setting in which to study ministry and music. The campus and the city provide a rich learning environment for taking classroom instruction and applying it to the realities of ministry and outreach through the local church. We'd love to have you come visit our city and enjoy some of the wonderful cuisine on one of our Preview Days for prospective students . We hope to provide answers to many of your questions through our website, but please feel free to contact us with any further questions at musicdivision@nobts.edu.

How do we face the overwhelming challenges of providing relevant seminary training in worship studies?

NOBTS is committed to providing comprehensive instruction in the essential area of church music. The challenges are daunting: 1) convincing the next generation of worship leaders that, while they may be able to obtain a worship leadership job without a music degree or seminary training, they may not be able to sustain a lifetime of effective ministry without further education; 2) preparing worship leaders for the widest variety of musical scenarios and church identities in the history of the Evangelical church; and 3) developing a coherent curriculum which addresses the robust range of challenges a 21^st century worship leader faces.

Our world-class faculty is dedicated to meeting these challenges head-on. We understand the diversity of church congregations, and the varied environments our graduates will be stepping into. We have designed our curriculum to equip our students with all the tools necessary to properly lead God's people in worshiping Him.

A bio for Greg Woodward is provided here.

Nate Jernigan

Nate Jernigan leads the Leavell College music and worship programs and also serves as the coordinator for chapel worship. Nate has served as a worship pastor in churches of all sizes and styles in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. In addition to his role at NOBTS and Leavell College, Nate also serves as the Worship Pastor at First Baptist New Orleans.

Nate is married to Meagan and they have a son named Ellis. Nate and Meagan love to travel and are always looking forward to new adventures. Unashamedly, their favorite restaurant in New Orleans is a Colombian Creole spot named Mais Arepas.

Dr. Jessica McMillan

Jessica McMillan serves as the director of the Doctor of Musical Arts program and has taught at every educational level from pre-kindergarten through doctoral studies. She spent fifteen years as middle/high school choral director and Spanish teacher before becoming a university/seminary professor. She has served on staff at several churches as pianist and/or worship leader and serves as adjudicator and clinician for choral contests and events in schools and churches in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. Her heart's desire is to see artistic excellence and authenticity applied to the area of music and worship in the church. Jessica is married to Roland, and they have two daughters, Hannah, and Sarah.