Teaching with Respect, with author Stephen Sieck, on Music and the Church Ep. 27
We might be the experts in the room, and our expertise is valuable, but so are experiences of the people we lead.
Ministry
What I Learned from a 6 Week + 2 Week Work Cycle
This summer, I tried a 6 week + 2 week work cycle for the first time. And I loved it enough that I’m doing it again. Here’s what is it: make plans and goals for a 6 week time frame, and give yourself 2 weeks of buffer afterward to tie up loose ends, rest, and …
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Current events influence the music I choose. Here’s why.
Around the fourth of July, we church musicians like to debate whether we should program “patriot music” if the choice is up to us. But the question isn’t really about “patriotic music.” The questions is: should we base our musical choices on Scripture readings only? Or, should we also consider current events and civic concerns …
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Bringing a Researcher’s Mindset to Music Ministry, with Carrie Allen Tipton, and the 4 Sundays of Advent, on Music and the Church Ep. 5
Interview: Dr. Carrie Allen Tipton is a musicologist who hosts the podcast Notes on Bach, sponsored by the Bach Society Houston. Notes on Bach is a monthly series of interviews with scholars and musicians who work with Baroque music and issues around music like theology. Today, we discuss the benefits of bringing a researcher’s mindset to the ministry …
Authenticity—Is It Worth the Hassle?
“Authenticity” can mean a lot of things—as I’m using the word, authenticity is where leading musicians sing true words that convey their personal beliefs and and, in so doing, express their inner self. For example, while singing the true words “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!” the musicians convey their personal belief in the words …
3 Ways to Avoid Disillusionment in Your Ministry
Hypocrisy is claiming to believe one thing and then doing another. (Or as I’ve heard it, your walk doesn’t match your talk.) I’ve been thinking about hypocrisy because it’s something we church musicians deal with as a matter of course in our ministries. Being on a church’s staff means that you see a lot of …
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Singing through the Year: Fishers of Men
Rise and Follow Me: I’ll Make You Worthy Next Sunday’s Gospel reading comes from Matthew—Jesus begins his ministry and calls several fishermen away from their work, saying, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Such a simple but radically life-altering command.
Singing Faith Through the Liturgical Year
I sing to my infant son whenever we’re in the car together, and since singing whatever comes to mind usually means “Come Thou Found” on repeat, I try to sing songs according to the liturgical year(ish).* *haters gonna hate, but there was a lot of Christmas music happening during Advent—sorrynotsorry y’all!