Here’s how to find out more about a church before you apply for a church music job. Knowledge is power here, and you need to know about the church before you can tailor your cover letter and resume.
How to Research Potential Jobs
Many job advertisements include a full description of the job. But many are incomplete, out-of-date, or a written by someone who doesn’t fully understand the job.
In fact, the majority of hiring committee members who took my survey said that they did not revise a job description. But this doesn’t mean a job position necessarily stays the same. So that means a job description might be out-of-date.
So, knowing that job descriptions can be incomplete and/or misleading, what should you do?
Find out more about the church and the position.
You have a lot of options:
1. Search the church online.
Read a church’s website and social media accounts.
Watch previous church services or video posts from concerts.
And look for other online sources like an e-newsletter or a church blog.
2. See if staff members have an online presence.
Many people have profiles on professional sites like LinkedIn. Reading their job and educational histories can give you a sense of what kinds of people work for the church.
3. Contact the chair of the hiring committee or the pastor.
Many musicians who took my survey said that they emailed or called people at the church to find out more about the position.
You might think that this kind of contact should wait until after you’ve applied, but in fact, a congregation’s particular values, like the kinds of music they prefer, are not clear from their online presence.
You want to know about these things because you want to tailor your cover letter and resume to the particular job. Plus, you might decide to not apply for a job once you find out more about it.
(If you feel like you would be bother them, remember that most church music job search get 15 or fewer applicants according to my survey. They are likely not deluged with phones calls from potential applicants who genuinely want to know more about the church.)
Here’s how hiring committee members answers this question on my survey: “How did applicants find out about your church’s culture and musical preferences? (Select all that apply):”
- Church website, 64%
- Job description, 74%
- Conversation with committee, 69%
- Conversation with committee chair, 26%
- Word-of-mouth, 41%
- Other responses mentioned attending a service at the church and/or talking with members of the congregation
Here’s how musicians answered a similar question on my survey: “How did you find out more about the position? (Select all that apply):”
- Word of mouth 66%
- Church’s website 60%
- Not necessary—job description was already sufficient 31%
- Called the hiring committee chair 14%
- Emailed the hiring commitee chair 25%
- A number of responses mentioned calling the church office and speaking to the pastor, having already worked in the church as a sub, and asking lots of questions during the interview process
Get a Church Music Job You Love Series
This series is based on my survey of over 250 church 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)
