and so when I began a professional career in dance and theater in New York City, it was a natural progression to continue my passion for the arts and religion “on the side” even as I toured the world. While dancing with the companies of Alwin Nikolais, Murray Louis, and five years touring the Dave Brubeck Jazz Quartet, I was able to contact churches wherever we were appearing in concert and offer to bring my art forms to worship. 

At the height of that career I encountered a line in Cecil Williams’ (from Glide church in San Francisco) book called I’m Alive: 

“If your doin’ doesn’t dance with your sayin’
you haven’t chosen life.” 

It was an epiphany moment.  From that time forward I would pour everything I knew about the arts, combined with a new theological education, into equipping and supporting leaders in the church to offer deeply evocative and artful rituals that transform lives to make the world a better place.  Time after time leaders in the church gave me opportunities to offer my ministry in workshops and worship across the country. In twenty-five years…

“I’ve been around,” as they say.

Along the way I got a PhD in worship and ethics and then turned down tenured teaching positions because this call to equip and support worship leaders “in the field” kept pulling me towards more unorthodox methods of teaching. I started inviting people to come study with me in Tahoe–and they came! I started recording brainstorming sessions about worship with my friends and people signed up to listen. I discovered a great and wonderful hunger for learning among clergy and lay alike and…

I have been continually surprised at how hungry people are
for better, more meaningful and vital worship experiences
and learning how to create them.

After conferences, keynotes and workshops, people kept asking “how can I get more?” More inspiration. More education. More practical help. These questions led to another epiphany on a plane ride last year coming home from a conference.

I love teaching.
I love designing and leading worship,
but teaching is my passion. 

So I’ve decided to spend more of my time teaching and doing it in a way that anyone, anywhere, anytime can access it. So here we are–”smack dab” (as they say in Missouri) in the middle of this venture called the Worship Design Studio. I hope you’ll give it a go and find something life-giving here.

If you are still reading this, maybe my story feels familiar. Perhaps you too have what drives me, thrills me, and sometimes “ails me.”

Passion.

Love for learning.

Love for vital, artful worship. 

Love for God’s people. 

My number one purpose is to support ministry professionals and volunteers in such a way that you can have MORE EASE, MORE JOY, AND MORE TIME for creativity and depth in everything you do!

Connecting worship professionals and volunteers to their passion and depth of spiritual leadership is Dr. Marcia's aim in teaching and consulting as well as equipping them with skills to carry this out. She travels extensively, teaching and holding worship planning retreats. Dr. McFee has designed and led worship for regional, national and international gatherings of several denominations for the last 25 years. She is the creator and visionary of the Worship Design Studio, an online experience of coaching, education, inspiration hat currently serves over 1000 congregations. She is the author of The Worship Workshop, a workbook for worship teams and, as an avid skier, wrote Spiritual Adventures in the Snow: Skiing and Snowboarding as Renewal for Your Soul. Her third book, Think Like a Filmmaker: Sensory-Rich Worship for Unforgettable Messages, has become a best-seller and is utilized by churches and seminaries all over the world. Hundreds of individuals have travelled to study with her at annual retreats at Lake Tahoe over the last 12 years.

"Marcia is fantastically creative, awesomely helpful and deeply grounded. 
What a blessing from God she is to worship ministers and teams." 

—Jeanette Heitfeld