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A CELEBRATION OF GOD'S GRACE
He (sic) who is false to present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and will find the flaw when he may have forgotten its cause.
--Henry Ward Beecher
It is not the suffering but the cause which makes the martyr.
--English Proverb
Philosophy of Church Music
** Narrative form **
CONGREGATIONAL SONG. Music in worship is the focal point for music ministry, and its center is the music of the “great choir,” the congregation. A great deal of imagination, time and energy should be given to making their singing vital and enthusiastic, since, as St. Augustine said, those who sing pray twice. The amount of space it takes to write that is small, but its importance cannot be overstated.
My vision of the “performed” music in the large church can be organized into six inter-related areas: participation, quality repertoire and performance, sense of belonging, spiritual growth, leadership development, and community activities. Each area affects the others and any particular program or project should have its roots in at least two of the areas. (Return)
The large church needs to MAXIMIZE PARTICIPATION in its music ministry by offering many different opportunities: vocal choirs, handbell ensembles, dance and instrumental groups. Auxiliary groups, such as youth and children’s choir parents organizations, are non-musical ways of involving people and taking care of many extra-musical details and projects at the same time. Some church leaders suggest having a separate adult choir with different repertoire for each Sunday service. It is imperative that a fully graded choir program be in place in the large church. This includes handbell choirs and possibly instrumental groups as well as singing choirs. The objective is to provide as many options for participation as possible. (Return)
A large church functions differently than a small church. As the size of the congregation increases, so do the demands for quality in all its programs. In that sense the large church fills many of the functions of the European cathedrals as contrasted with their parish churches. QUALITY IN REPERTOIRE AND PERFORMANCE is important to me, as will be noted by my repertoire lists. Also, I take seriously St. Paul’s injunction in 1 Corinthians 14:15 to “sing praises with the spirit and with the understanding.” A former colleague of mine once asked me if I did “head music or heart music.” I responded that I do head music with heart. Music that emphasizes emotion must have solid substance and music that is more objective must come alive.
Church music normally should be coordinated with preaching or church year themes. Any music worth the time and effort needed to achieve a quality performance must be inspired and well-crafted; and, if it has a text, there must be a good marriage between text and music. I do not mean to imply, however, that music must be difficult in order to be of good quality. With those as givens, I choose repertoire by two standards. First, I have found the Wesley quadrilateral to be a useful guide. Church music texts should be Biblically centered, although not necessarily from the Bible; they must always be consistent with the teachings of scripture. Church music must be theologically sound, that is, in keeping with the doctrines and practices that have nurtured Christians for 2000 years. It must be pastoral; that is, the music must relate culturally to where the congregation lives. And church music must be experiential; it must grow out of faith and express or communicate faith in Christ.
The second criterion I use to choose repertoire is balance: balance between old and new, comfort and challenge in a variety of musical styles, familiar and unfamiliar, and whatever can be achieved in the precious moments of limited rehearsal time. I choose some music for the theological education of choir and congregation; I choose some for their musical education, and some for their enjoyment. Hopefully, every piece meets several of the standards. I believe that God gave composers creative gifts to use in many ways, so I also enjoy doing some secular music outside worship. Music is more than entertainment; it expresses and communicates the whole range of human emotions, as is seen in the Psalms. Good music that is performed well edifies performer and listener alike. (Return)
COMMUNITY BUILDING. Music ministry needs to give participants a sense of belonging. It is easy to get lost in a large church unless one belongs to a small group. Choirs and ensembles are ideal ways to foster belonging. People need to feel needed, to know that what they do counts for something, and to see evidence that they are gaining from as giving to the activity. There are many practical ways to build this type of community: redundant communication, frequent social events, youth and children’s choir camps, choir tours and exchanges, prayer partners and choir buddies, and choir and orchestra (working) retreats. I have listed this area third, but without it my top paragraph on participation will not happen. (Return)
The fourth area again is one I have already touched on, SPIRITUAL GROWTH. If church music is presented appropriately, people will learn an amazing amount of scripture and theology. Repeated exposure to the great texts of the church cannot help but deepen the participants’ spiritual life, if the great themes are highlighted. If the texts are sung with understanding as well as spirit, those themes will come across to the listeners as well. A good music program will also emphasize hymn education and promote the hymnal as a devotional resource. (Return)
An area too often overlooked in church music is LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. Large choirs need organization in order to keep track of people in a pastoral way and to carry out whatever projects the group agrees to do. Youth and adult choirs should have officers and section leaders; youth and children’s choirs should have parent guilds. Musical leadership must be developed, also. Even in choirs blessed with an abundance of good musicians, other talent should be developed.
Participation in church music conferences (Montreat or Lake Junaluska, for example) are not limited to professionals, but are very helpful and inspiring to singers and instrumentalists from the church. Voice and sight-singing classes are good ways to improve musicianship in all groups. Talent shows are ways of highlighting achievement and encouraging continued work. (Return)
The last area of my vision that I will focus on is COMMUNITY ACTIVITY. It is important for Christians to give to others both in and beyond the church. Preparing for concerts is an excellent way to hone musical skills and lift our vision above the routine preparation of weekly assignments. Presenting and sponsoring concerts is an outstanding gift the church can make to the community. Musical ensembles can perform a great ministry by playing or singing in nursing homes and hospitals. Another facet of community building can be accomplished by organizing trips to attend concerts at other locations. (Return)
These six areas, then, are simply different ways of approaching the one matter of nurturing the spiritual growth of persons through the medium of music. By meeting with needs and building up the human resources of the participants in the music program, the entire church is lifted in its worship and service.