A Word of Encouragement

Do you feel frustrated as, week after week, you keep doing the same job, with no thanks from anyone? Do you ever get tired of the weekly drudge of trying to pick out hymns that somehow fit the obscure text your pastor chose (or worse, the same text as the last three sermons)? Why isn’t there a helpful hymn index, anyway? I know that for myself, it’s easy to fall into a rut of weekly frustration: “Did we sing this too recently? Not that anyone would remember, anyway….Do they really know this song? Do I feel like trying to teach them a new one this week?”

Tell Me the Old, Old Story

Each passage in the Bible has many different facets to be explored and understood. Sometimes, a pastor will preach for several weeks on the same verse. Other times, he’ll do a series based on one topic. While this is an effective way to teach and to learn, it can prove especially difficult for the music director to select appropriate music for one subject--for weeks at a time. Selecting music for only one week’s sermon requires careful thought and planning (see my earlier post), but what happens when there are only 3 hymns or songs on your topic, and three weeks of sermons?

Psalm and Hymn Calendar

Looking for ideas for your church songs for this year? Check out this resource:
Psalm and Hymn Calendars

Having a schedule for the year is a great way to enhance your church's musical and spiritual vocabulary. If you're like me, and choose at least one song every week specifically to fit the sermon (see my previous post), you can use these calendars as a reference for opening songs of praise, and insert your own song choice as a response, or simply use the list to get ideas for new hymns to learn over the course of the year.

A New Year of Music Begins

A New Year begins tomorrow—fittingly, on a Sunday. What music is your church using to begin the new year?

At my church, we are beginning the service with “Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah, O My Soul”—based on Psalm 146. As I was practicing this afternoon, I was contemplating the beginning of the new year, and thinking how fitting this hymn is for the occasion. The first verse begins with almost a New Year's resolution:

Help! What If I'm Not a Musician?

So far, most of my articles have been geared toward church pianists, but what if you're a pastor or other church leader who is starting a church or who has been left without a regular pianist for some reason? Don't worry—this article is for you.

It's Not Elevator Music

What is an offertory? An offertory, or “musical offering,” is a piece of music played for the glory of God during the worship service. Its main purpose is to give glory to God, and it serves as a time of focus for the congregation. During the offertory, it would be appropriate to listen and enjoy it, or pray, or meditate on scripture, or otherwise prepare your heart for worship (especially if the offertory is before the sermon). The offertory is NOT elevator music. The point is not just some tunes in the background while the ushers are taking up a collection. Yes, this is happening at the same time, but it is not the primary purpose of the musical selection (unless you are planning to rewrite the song as “Bringing in the Dough”). Its function is the same as if there were no monetary offering being taken up at the same time. That being said, there are some technicalities to consider....

Resources

Here are some of my favorite resources for church music, accompanying, and music in general: