Courses & workshops

Formed by beauty.

Courses and one-day workshops for churches, leaders and artists who want to go deeper in faith, theology and the arts.

Our approach

Theology you can see.

Renaissance Canada exists to reach artists and restore culture. Part of that work is teaching: helping churches recover a theology of beauty, equipping leaders to care for their artists, and inviting creative people to meet Jesus.

Our courses and workshops are taught by Jess Sanchez, a pastor, award-winning filmmaker and theology student, alongside guest artists and teachers from across Canada.

01Rooted in ScriptureTeaching that starts with the God who made all things and calls them good, and is making all things new.
02Shaped by the artsWe learn by looking, listening and making, drawing on two thousand years of the church’s art and artists.
03Made for the local churchEvery course and workshop is built to be hosted by churches, and shaped around the people in the room.
8-week courseNow booking for 2027

A life that’s beautiful, good and true.

Developing a theology of beauty. A discipleship course for people who aren’t artists.

What if discipleship isn’t only about what we believe, but about what we love? We live in the most image-saturated moment in history, and the pictures, stories and songs around us are quietly forming us. This course invites the whole church to slow down and ask what God has to say about beauty.

Over eight weeks we explore how God forms us through what we behold, why the arts matter for the kingdom, and why the artists in our churches matter so much right now. Each session moves through teaching, engaging with a work of art, guided reflection, and sharing and prayer. No artistic experience needed. Just come curious.

Length
8 weeks · 1.5–2 hours a session
For
Small groups, discipleship nights and whole congregations
Format
Teaching, art, reflection, sharing and prayer
Reading
Makoto Fujimura, Art and Faith · Philip Ryken, Art for God’s Sake
Host this course ↓
The eight weeks
  1. 01The God who is beautiful
  2. 02Formed by what we behold
  3. 03Beauty in a broken world
  4. 04The beauty of Christ
  5. 05Redemption and restoration
  6. 06Called to create
  7. 07Beauty as witness
  8. 08Guardians of beauty

The first cohort begins in January 2027 with a partner church. Led in person by Jess, with guest artists and teachers.

Course for artistsIn development

Let There Be.

A course for artists asking life’s big questions.

Canada’s creative communities are one of the least-reached places in the country, and many artists have never been invited to explore faith on their own terms. Let There Be is a filmed, table-based course built for them: a short film, honest conversation around a table, and a chance to make something together.

Each episode completes the phrase Let there be… and looks at a big question through the eyes of an artist, from Van Gogh and Caravaggio to Bach and Hildegard of Bingen. Table hosts lead the conversation, and every guest receives a journal to carry the course with them. It’s being written now, with filming to follow, and we’re looking for churches and ministries who’d like to be among the first to run it.

Length
12 sessions and a retreat
For
Artists and creatives exploring faith, hosted by local churches
Format
Short film, table conversation and a studio moment
Includes
Guest journals and guides for table hosts
Register interest ↓
Each session
  1. 01Gather around a table
  2. 02Watch a short film
  3. 03Talk honestly about a big question
  4. 04Make something together

Want to hear first, or pilot the course with your church? Register your interest below.

One-day workshops

A day with your team.

Full-day or half-day intensives for staff, leadership, worship and creative teams, in person or online. Each one is shaped around your people and your context.

01Pastors & leaders
Recovering beautyA theology of beauty for the local church. Why beauty matters to God, and what it could look like for your church to make room for it again.
What we’ll cover
  • —The forgotten transcendental: truth, goodness and beauty
  • —Beauty in Scripture, from Eden and Bezalel to the new creation
  • —What the church has remembered, and forgotten
  • —Beauty on mission in your city

You’ll leave withA beauty audit to walk through as a leadership team.

Bring this to your team ↓
02Pastoral & creative teams
Caring for the artists in your churchWho your creatives are, what they carry, and practical ways to disciple and support them as whole people.
What we’ll cover
  • —Seeing the full range of makers in your congregation
  • —The gifts and wounds of the artistic temperament
  • —Beloved before the work: identity beyond output
  • —Discipleship shaped for creative people

You’ll leave withSimple next steps to notice, gather and commission your artists.

Bring this to your team ↓
03Mission & outreach
Art, mission and the churchCanada’s creative communities as a mission field, and how churches can meet artists where they already are.
What we’ll cover
  • —Why artists are often unreached, and why that matters
  • —Restorative work through the arts, drawn from Creative Drop-In
  • —Hospitality, presence and long-term friendship
  • —Starting something small in your own neighbourhood

You’ll leave withA first, realistic step toward the artists around your church.

Bring this to your team ↓
04Media & communications
Visual storytelling for ministryA hands-on day of film and photography for church media and communications teams, taught by an award-winning filmmaker.
What we’ll cover
  • —Finding the story before picking up a camera
  • —Light, composition and framing on a phone or camera
  • —Filming people with dignity and consent
  • —A short shoot-and-edit exercise

You’ll leave withPractical skills your team can use the very next Sunday.

Bring this to your team ↓
The shape of the day

Teach, eat, practise, send.

MorningGather and groundWelcome, Scripture and stillness, then the heart of the teaching.
MiddayEat togetherLunch and unhurried conversation. Some of the best learning happens here.
AfternoonPractiseHands-on work, case studies or creative practice, applied to your own context.
CloseSendNext steps for your team, and prayer to commission what comes next.
Full day · about 6 hoursHalf day · about 3 hoursIn person or onlineAnywhere in Canada
How hosting works

Simple from here.

01Send an enquiryTell us which course or workshop you’re interested in, and a little about your church or team.
02Plan togetherJess will talk through your people, dates, format and what you hope they’ll walk away with.
03Gather your peopleWe’ll shape the content to your context and provide what you need to host it well.

Bring it to your church.

Tell us which course or workshop you're interested in, or register your interest in Let There Be, and Jess will be in touch within a few days. You can also email jessica.sanchez@paoc.org