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Spiritual Care of the Choir

What's really going on in our choir rehearsals? Amid the learning of parts, the banter of jokes, the hugs and greetings and coffee drinking, the marking of music, and rehearsing of hymns, I recognize three main aspects of the rehearsal: (1) preparing the music to be sung in worship; (2) education; and (3) fellowship. You can decide if your own rehearsal includes other major aspects, but I'll bet these three are prominent.

Many directors see preparing the music as our main task — perhaps our mission; but education is inevitably going on as well. Singers improve their skills, learn to read notes and rhythms, improve blend and diction, and probably learn a good deal of theology in the process. Fellowship starts when choir members get out of their cars in the parking lot, and it continues through the rehearsal, and on into the following week. It's an important element of any successful choir.

There is a fourth aspect that should be present in every choir and rehearsal. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's barely there. Sometimes we give such prominence to the other three that we intentionally skip over the fourth at some rehearsals. Sometimes the director is uncomfortable in leading the choir in this aspect — and that is the spiritual care, nurture, and formation of the choir members. Here are some suggestions to ensure that this important element is not minimized or left out. Don't do all these. Be selective. Devise your own plan.

  1. If the director is uncomfortable in the role of spiritual leader, ask a choir member to take it on for a time — a week, a month, a quarter, a year — as a kind of choir chaplain. Pass around a sign-up sheet and ask every choir member to take a turn.
  2. Never ask a choir member to lead or pray without having talked to that person about it earlier.
  3. Some choirs open with a time of sharing of concerns and prayer and close with a unison Lord's Prayer or a reading from the hymnal.
  4. Open with a very brief prayer, but close with a more substantial devotional time.
  5. Include a portion of the Scripture to be read the following Sunday.
  6. Purchase and use a book of choir devotions and prayers available from many sources, including Cokesbury (www.cokesbury.com, 1-800-672-1789).
  7. Solicit celebrations and concerns from the choir to be included in the prayer.
  8. Use the lectionary Psalm for the week.
  9. Read a short excerpt from a book or article you're currently reading.
  10. Don't preach — that's not your role. Offer a word of comfort, hope, inspiration…a short one.
  11. Leave politics, both governmental and church, out of it.
  12. Pray for those outside your own choir and church, especially the poor, the sick, those who suffer.
  13. Pray for and give thanks for your pastor.
  14. Plan both the content and length of your devotion time. If you have a 90-minute rehearsal, plan your music to allow for 5-10 minutes of devotion, and stick to the schedule. If you have to shorten something, shorten the music and not the devotion.
  15. Make an outline of your devotion time, at least of its main points: reading, Scripture, concerns and celebrations, prayer. If you are going to offer a prayer on behalf of the group, then write down prayer requests as they are offered. The choir will appreciate your diligence, and you will be better prepared. Preachers often deliver a sermon from a written manuscript — there's nothing wrong with your leading a choir devotion from the same.
  16. Do not assume that because you're rehearsing music whose text consists of Scripture and words of devotion, that rehearsing can take the place of a time of prayer and devotion. It will not. Bring the choir together and lead them in a time of worship and prayer outside of the singing.
  17. You might even ritualize this time by lighting a candle, offering a familiar greeting ("The Lord be with you…and also with you").
  18. Include a time for silent prayer and meditation, perhaps followed by the quiet singing of a Taizé chant, a praise song, or a verse or chorus of a familiar hymn.
  19. If your pastor happens to be in the building for a late meeting, invite him or her to join with the choir that night for closing prayer, but don't ask the pastor to lead it without prior notice.
  20. Even if the rehearsal has gone over time, don't end with a perfunctory "Go in peace." Apologize for keeping the choir members late, but ask them to remain a few more moments and join in prayer.
  21. Include prayer in every rehearsal — adults, praise team, youth, children, and handbells. It is especially important that young children have this experience.

Finally, don't let the other three aspects of choir rehearsal crowd out the fourth. Don't let the preparation, education, and fellowship become so important that you haven't left time for the spiritual dimension. In fact, many of us would say that the spiritual is the most important element of the rehearsal and choir experience and that you should plan it first and protect it in the evening's schedule.

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