Townsend-McAfee Institute of Sacred Music

Stained glass windows inside of a chapel

Welcome to The Townsend-McAfee Institute of Sacred Music, created in 2005 as a collaboration with Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music in Macon and McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta to prepare musical artists for ministry.

Beginning Fall 2026, the Townsend-McAfee Institute will offer the low-residency hybrid Master of Sacred Music and Graduate Certificate of Sacred Music.

The Townsend-McAfee Institute offers the following degrees to aspiring students:

  • Master of Sacred Music
  • Master of Sacred Music/Master of Theological Studies (Dual-Degree)
  • Master of Sacred Music/Master of Divinity (Dual-Degree)
  • Certificate of Sacred Music
  • Bachelor of Music with a Certificate of Sacred Music
  • Bachelor of Arts with a Concentration in Sacred Music
  • Minor in Sacred Music

APLLY NOW

For students who are within driving distance of the Macon campus, applied concentrations in Organ, Voice, Collaborative Piano, and Conducting may be added to the MSM degree by completing __hours of applied and ensemble coursework. Additionally, residential students pursuing a Master of Music in Performance may add a concentration in Sacred Music by completing __hours of Sacred Music coursework.

We foster an environment of mentorship, empowerment, and collaboration. Our students work with leading sacred music scholars, musicians, conductors, and leaders throughout the world.

The Townsend-McAfee Institute provides intensive training in the areas of scholarship, musicianship, theology, leadership, discipleship, and worship arts. Mercer University is an institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, and all degrees from the Townsend School of Music prepare musicians to enter the field as a professional artist or continue studies at the doctoral level. The James & Carolyn McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, and the following degree programs are approved: M.Div., M.A. in Christian Ministry, M.T.S., and D.Min. McAfee is also approved for Comprehensive Distance (Online) Education.

The Townsend-McAfee Institute of Sacred Music has been made possible through a gift from James and Carolyn McAfee. The program is named in honor and memory of Mrs. McAfee’s parents, Sophia Malin Townsend and Raymond Clay Townsend.