“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth burst into jubilant song with music.” – Psalm 98:4
The Book of Psalms is a powerful testament to the life of faith. It is packed full of declarations of praise, songs of lament, supplications, and calls for us to worship God with our whole hearts. The psalmist reminds us that we are called to praise God, not just when life is perfect, but also when life is difficult and we are struggling; when we are surrounded by the enemy of doubt, and even when we walk through the shadow of death. God’s promise is to be with us through every stage of life. This is where music makes its grand entrance! Music is at the heart of worship. Music enables us to express our love of God and neighbor as well as give voice to our fears, doubts, sorrows, and joys in real and tangible ways.
The coming church year is an opportunity to plan music that inspires and encourages musical ensembles, congregants, and you, the music director! As we find in the Psalms, music that highlights the liturgical season and scripture readings deepens the faith of the choir and congregation alike and gives voice to the faith of the worshiping community. It will carry and sustain you, your music ministry, and your parishioners. Music directors are in a unique position to guide the worship of the congregation through carefully chosen psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19) which will be both challenging and rewarding for choirs to sing – as well as being instructive and uplifting for the congregation.
Selecting appropriate musical repertoire is paramount to the success of your ensembles. Difficulty, musicality, length, pacing, theology, vocal range, part-writing, accompaniment, scriptures, and liturgical season: these are just a few of the many factors that go into selecting the hymns and anthems that are the best fit for the worshipers in your church. When these are selected and prepared with thoughtfulness and prayer, the church musician will be contributing their best efforts to the musical and spiritual growth of the choir and congregation. When church musicians provide worship music that is biblically based and theologically sound, they proclaim the word of God in many ways: through congregational song, through solo and choral offerings, and through the use of a variety of instruments.
A healthy church music ministry provides opportunities for musicians to develop and share their talents through many forms: through corporate singing, through children’s choirs, through exploring a variety of instrumental ensembles, and through vocal and choral music. My approach to church music has always been and continues to be an extension of 1 Corinthians 12:4–6:
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
The way this has played out in my ministry is by offering many opportunities for congregants to tap into musical expression. I have found there are many who want to utilize music as a means of expression of their praise but are unsure of how to get started. Not every adult made music or participated in musical ensembles as a child. Some may have had limited experience in grade school but have not attempted to utilize or develop those musical skills in years. For both of these, attempting to participate in a musical ensemble as an adult can be both daunting and a touch scary. The church music ministry can be an open door to providing a safe space for children and adults alike to explore their gifts and find ways to offer them back to God, the church, and the surrounding community.
These opportunities help each person to express their praise using their best gifts, giving voice and outward expression of the inward heart. As each musician in your congregation offers their own unique gifts, they support the mission of the church and the wider church community.
In the coming days, as you dig into the challenging and devotional act of music selection and preparation, may you be blessed as you
Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Ephesians 5:19–20
