Synderesis

Synderesis is something that church musicians and worship leaders would do well to think about often. First, what are our intentions? our goals? and not just the easily identified short-term ones, such as tidying up the music library, finding just the right song for the children to sing at Easter, or getting the sound technician to learn how to properly balance the volume of the praise team microphones. As important as those may be, synderesis implies something deeper and more profoundly important. It calls us to examine and identify our deepest values, our highest aspirations, for ourselves, our families, and our congregations. And then once we have identified those values and aspirations, we need to identify the actions, methods, and procedures we can take or put in place in order to achieve them. And I would add a third component: We need to identify the obstacles or mitigating factors that prevent or inhibit us from reaching our goals so that we can change or overcome them.

We can consider synderesis in relation to any number of areas of our lives: our work, our family lives, our personal growth as human beings and disciples of Jesus Christ, our creative endeavors, our professional or social relationships. But I would hope that we might think of it in our role as music and worship leaders. Let us ask ourselves, "What do I REALLY want in this setting? What do I pray for God to accomplish through my work here?" and then, "What do I need to do in order to achieve that? How can I be God's instrument in the worship and music ministry of the church?" and finally, "What am I now doing that is preventing that from happening? What is standing in my way? How can I change, overcome, or get around it?"

We will not find the answers to these questions in books, articles, internet websites, or workshop classes, although all of these may help. Ultimately, answers to these questions come from prayer, meditation, deep thought and reflection, perhaps conversation with others, and for some, personal and private writing or journaling. And we should remember Paul's example. At no time in this Romans passage does he place blame on anyone else. He recognizes his own accountability and responsibility, his own failures and lack of understanding.

Here are the three simple questions with not so simple answers. Meditate on them and write out your responses on a sheet of paper or a computer screen:

1. What do I value or hope for the most in my ministry?
2. What do I need to do to accomplish that or bring it about?
3. What is standing in the way of success?