Home Worship Planning Music Resources Too Many Musicians at Church

Too Many Musicians at Church

I recently attended a large music and worship conference at which one of the plenary speakers made the statement, "There are too many musicians at church and not enough church musicians." The comment went by with little noticeable reaction, but I've thought quite a bit about it since then. The distinction he was making, I think, is a good one, and valid all too often. It goes to the very heart of who we are and what we do . . . and why.

Here are ten characteristics that describe musicians at church:

  1. They select music they personally prefer or enjoy.
  2. Their participation is primarily a vehicle for performance or self-expression.
  3. They seek their position as one more step in their development as musicians.
  4. They find enjoyment and fulfillment in leading and directing others.
  5. They have worked hard in perfecting their musical skills, and the church is a means of demonstrating their achievement and using their skills.
  6. They see the church as a place musicians can work and earn income.
  7. They view their current position as a stepping-stone to something bigger, better, more lucrative.
  8. Their long years of training give them the expertise, knowledge, and skills to be the ultimate arbiters of questions of musical style, repertoire, and practice.
  9. The focus of their music leadership is often on the music and the excellence or beauty of the performance. Music is the goal.
  10. They see their task as their own; their success as individual success.

Here are ten characteristics that describe church musicians:

  1. They have been called by God to serve the church in music ministry.
  2. They live their public and private lives as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
  3. They are shepherds and ministers to the musicians they lead.
  4. The music that is performed under their leadership is designed to nurture, inspire, comfort, edify, instruct, and evangelize. It is not primarily a vehicle for performance or self-expression.
  5. The focus of their music leadership is on ministry and service — enabling others to experience the presence of God. Music is the means.
  6. They see themselves as part of a team of ministers, each one bringing his or her gifts to an overall task best accomplished by the group.
  7. They see their positions of leadership as means of living out their vows of prayer, presence, gifts, and service, and of enabling others to do the same through music.
  8. They work to improve their musical skills so that they may be more effective ministers.
  9. They regularly engage in study, prayer, worship, and Christian fellowship so that they will continue to grow in their faith.
  10. They understand music as only one component of worship and that music must be included with proclamation, prayer, liturgy, fellowship, sacrament, and more to make for vital worship.

I do not suggest that the characteristics of musicians at church are all bad. Indeed, there is an element in each one of the characteristics that should be integrated into the characteristics of church musicians. I do not believe that church musicians necessarily avoid all the characteristics of musicians at church, but one of the things that makes them effective church musicians is that they can recognize and appropriate the desirable element in each one.

What do you think? Is the distinction valid? Are there other characteristics of both types of musicians? Are you a musician at church or a church musician?

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