Let’s face it. Holy Week is plain hard for church musicians, pastors, church administrators, cleaning personnel, and more. Even with careful preparation, the demands of the worship schedule itself leave many craving a nice long Easter nap or a vacation.

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His name was Paul, and he was crying. His wife assured us that they were tears of joy, but they took us by surprise. He sat in his wheelchair in the kitchen, hands folded on a narrow table as we sang. With each song, he cried more intensely, visibly moved by our presence, possibly reminded of time and people no longer with him.

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Anyone who has interviewed for a church music position knows some questions are almost guaranteed to be asked: “How do you motivate volunteers? What style of music is your favorite? What does the ideal relationship between clergy and church musician look like? How do you feel about choir robes?” Tough questions, but not too difficult to answer. There is that one dreaded question, though, which is seemingly impossible to answer: “What is your philosophy of worship and music?” Whether you have been asked this question directly or not, you do have a philosophy that manifests itself in how you practice church music. Spending some time developing—even writing out—your own philosophy of worship and music is a valuable exercise that can have a direct, positive impact on your music ministry. Try this on your own, or together as a worship/music committee.

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Suppose you have spent the summer planning for the upcoming choir year. You have selected anthems, new hymns to teach, and a collection of psalm settings. Then you discover that a soprano with a new grandchild has elected to take a hiatus from choir. An alto has a daughter that plays every sport. A bass has been ill. A tenor is not reliable. Before long, your choir could now be classified as a small ensemble.

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The radio program Composer’s Datebook regularly signs off with the phrase, “Reminding you that all music was once new.”

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When it comes to church music ministry, there is plenty to worry about! Will enough singers show up on Sunday morning? Will the assembly be pleased with the music I’ve chosen? Will the organ cipher sound during my prelude? Will my choir members notice I’m not well prepared for rehearsal? Will the sound system work right? Will next year’s budget be cut—again? Often, we who are in charge worry too much, and our worry spills over to our volunteers. But, is it healthy to approach our service to the church in this way?

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Leading the Church's Song

January 6–8, 2016

First United Methodist Church | Corpus Christi, Texas

Featuring David Cherwien, Eric Nelson, Susan Briehl, Heather Williams Potter, Jackson Henry, and Ed Rollins

National Conference for Sacred Music is a unique conference designed to provide the practicing church musician with fresh new ideas to help create a vital, growing music ministry. The emphasis of this conference is to provide a wide variety of new approaches to revitalize and reinvigorate the church’s passion for music in worship. Sessions will include the following:

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A hymn by William Irons (1812–1883) begins by calling us to “Sing with all the saints in glory.” We typically think of singing this and similar hymns on All Saints Day, but Evangelical Lutheran Worship contains a number of hymns under the topic heading, “Festivals and Commemorations.” What is a commemoration and how can our worship and music planning include them?

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Church musicians are always planning: planning for the upcoming rehearsal, next Sunday, next Easter. No matter the situation, planning well contributes to the success of our varied ministries.

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As you’re probably well aware, Prelude subscribers receive 20% off print music published by Augsburg Fortress (does not apply to hymnals and other core worship resources). But how does this work when ordering music online at augsburgfortress.org?

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