It is common that we assume the way we see roles being filled are the proper use and design of the example before us, but a seeker of truth will be diligent to “prove all things”. Have you ever questioned your beliefs? Have you found that things you believed to be true are in fact, not? After all, what are the chances that you were raised in a belief-system that is without error? Growing in our understanding and moving on from false teaching is an essential part of abiding in Christ. Jesus tells us that the Father “prunes every branch that bears fruit”. Sometimes this looks like taking away branches of false assumptions.
This principle of examining our beliefs could (and should) be applied to the way we understan music ministry in churches. Why does it look a certain way? Why is the Sunday morning service filled with music? Why do we sing? The diligent truth-seeker will ask these questions, and may find some pruning is needed.
It is especially important for those who lead others in worship through song to ask these questions.
With a history of leading music in church settings for over 15 years, I’ve asked these questions several times, and depending on the timing of God’s sanctification, came to different conclusions.
From Traditional to Modern Ministry Philoshy
As a child I saw our small congregation transition from hymns to praise choruses, hymnals to projectors, piano accompianiment to a ‘worship band’, etc. The church bought a drum set, some VHS drum instruction videos, and handed me drum sticks and asked the 10-year-old me to start playing on Sunday mornings. In my teen years, I attended a larger church with a Youth Group, and musically led other teenagers the best way I knew how.
From Modern to Traditional Ministry Philoshy
Discovering some of the flaws in modern worship philosophy led me to dive head first into a very traditional perspective of sacred music. Drums were worldly and unpleasing to God, any music written in the last 100 years was questionable at best (Ron Hamilton being the exception), and hymns were to be sung with that good ol’ rag-timey feel.
The more vibrato the better.
Music ministry in this season looked like picking the songs for Sunday just before service started, handing the hymn numbers to the piano player, and leading the congregation by waving my hand to the tempo. Don’t get me wrong, I miss these traditions at times, but it’s challenging to lead with your hands when you are using them for playing guitar.
Pruning False Assumptions
After 10 years of this “old paths” church culture, the Lord began to prune some of the traditions that I had held higher than scripture. I moved from believing in a single reliable Bible translation to several, from a dispensational framework to a covenantal biblical framework, and from a legalistic view of sacred music to a healthy understanding of music and the church’s ministry work regarding it.
Though I no longer hold strictly to either of these ministry philosophies, because of the Father’s hand in pruning, I believe I am able to bear more (and better) fruit. The loss of former identities is what needed to happen.
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”
Philippians 3:8
Much of what I practice in my ministry as the Chief Musician of Windsor Christian Fellowship was learned from the time spent serving God’s people in both contexts. Isn’t that the goal of music ministry? Serve the people that God has entrusted to you, leading them as the Good Shepherd leads us to shady green pastures so rich and so sweet. Lead them to an understanding of healthy music ministry.