#1. Word of Mouth
A full 82% of musicians who took my survey said that they found out about jobs through word of mouth. And several people mentioned that they were already a member of a church and then asked to take a music position, or have subbed at a church before they were asked to take the job.
Here’s what one person said: “Networking and talking to colleagues is the best way to go, either alone or in combination with job listings. As professionals, we network and we help one another.”
Agreed. However, that’s difficult to do when you’re new to an area.
Fortunately, many people also found out about jobs through national and local AGO sources, ACDA, National Pastoral Musicians, and denominational websites. And 17% of respondents said that they found out about church music jobs by searching job websites that weren’t specifically geared toward musicians (e.g. indeed.com).
Where to Find Church Music Jobs
According to my survey of over 250 church musicians and the people who hired them, most churches advertise with national and local AGO websites, the ACDA, National Pastoral Musicians, and other websites that are specific to music and/or the church’s denomination. These organizations are all based in the U.S., so if you are looking for a position outside of the U.S., check with the professional organizations in your region to see if they have similar job centers.
However, a significant minority mentioned word of mouth and many local avenues for advertising the position. Local avenues include message boards of schools and universities, contacting teachers and professors, and denominational message centers.
Here’s the complete list:
National Music Organizations
2.American Guild of Organist (job search is only available to members) Also check the websites and newsletters of local AGO chapters. Many jobs are only advertised with local chapters.
3.American Choral Directors Association
National Denominational Music Organizations
Note: While these are all generally affiliated with specific denominations, many post positions at churches outside their main denomination.
4.Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
6. Musica Sacra: Church Music Association of America
8.Presbyterian Association of Musicians
Other Music Specific Job Sites
10.Facebook Organist and Choir Director Jobs Worldwide
11.Yale University Institute of Sacred Music
Other Church Specific Job Sites
Other Places to Search and People to Talk to
15.Regional websites for specific denominations.
If you know where you want to find a job and/or which specific denomination(s) you’d like to work in, find their regional websites. This might require some creativity on your part since different denominations describe their “regions” differently. You might try search terms like “conference,” “district,” and “diocese” along with a city or state name to find the relevant websites. In my experience, only some regional websites post church music jobs. But they are worth finding since some jobs, especially part-time ones, aren’t posted widely.
16. Local university music departments and professors.
Many churches contact local universities and professors, asking them to post jobs on bulletin boards or to forward the job posting to their music students. You might not be able to access these postings, but it’s worth asking.
17. Non-music specific job sites like indeed.com.
This is especially the case for part-time jobs. You can also do a search for your instrument and city (e.g. “organist St. Louis job”).
Get a Church Music Job You Love Series
This series is based on my survey of over 250 churches musicians and the people who have hired them.
- I surveyed 250+ church musicians. Here’s what I learned about getting a church music job you love.
- 17 Places to Find Church Music Jobs
- 3 Ways to Research a Church Music Job Opening
- How Much Are Church Musicians Paid? Here’s How to Find Out.
- How to Write a Church Music Cover Letter and Resume (Plus the #1 Way to Make Hiring Committees Happy)
- 29 Interview Questions You Might Get (Plus 34 for YOU to Ask)
- How to Negotiate Salary and Benefits (and Why You Should)
- 4 Things You Need to Get a Church Music Job You Love (Plus 9 Big No-nos)
- Do These 8 Things to Get a Church Music Job You Love (Ep. 22 of the Music and the Church Podcast)
