What if it's not an either or proposition? What if we can work on making our liturgy flow more by making transitions more seamless (unless we want intentional silence)? What if we "boldly" decided to have the music continue in the background when we hear God's word? What if we made sure that when someone is reading they came up at the ending of the song instead of when it was over? No comment on right or wrong, but ideas.
Tough one to deal with, having to draw the line between what should be volunteer and what should be paid work. This difficulty extends to any worship director/coordinator that your church may have.
One thing I think I could agree on, but still probably not clear cut depending on who you talk to (what in life really is beyond the story of salvation?), is the provision of music and other such supplies (strings, sticks, etc) to the musicians and singers. These are items that are being used in the ministry of the church and comparable supplies are regularly provided to other ministries. Although, if you're regularly demanding gold-plated guitar strings, I think we might have an issue. :) (Maybe a stipend instead?)
I personally do not expect to be paid for the amount of time I put into learning my instrument because I want to volunteer my time and do something I love to do, but I know we all come from different life experiences so not all will agree. But I am only in a worship leader role and the actual service planning is completed by another individual so if I were doing both consistently I might feel differently. (I suppose if I was paid and considered self-employed I might also be able to claim some home office and auto expenses on my tax return and donate the money I made back to the church for a tax credit...)
If there are not enough/no musicians in the church and outside musicians need to be brought in, they should be offered compensation where the church can afford it - it is up to the individual offering their "services" to determine whether they want to volunteer their time or not. But it is not nice to see churches where there are capable musicians as part of the congregation and outside musicians are always being brought in.
One thing that paying inside musicians could do is make it awkward if you have to stop paying someone because they are not pulling their weight or do not pay someone at all because their skill level is not there (not that this should be the sole reason not to pay musicians, just a musing)
Sorry for all the competing thoughts I have going on in this comment. It makes sense in my head...
Thanks for sharing and providing directions to the sermon recordings. I now know what I'll be listening to on the way to and from the in-laws this weekend.
Vibrant is not necessarily a well run/produced/whatever worship service - it can simply mean a service that is "full of energy and enthusiasm" (thank you Google). We could sing "The Church's One Foundation" with only an organ and singers and it could be vibrant and we could do the some with a "full band" and it could be dead. What comes to mind specifically are the times when we are in the Sunday morning service and it looks/sounds/feels like people could be dead when they are supposed to be aiding/leading the church in worship in some capacity. I recognize that there might be any number of reasons why the individual might look like they are in a food coma (including nerves), but it seems important that whoever is in a leadership position in a service, in whatever capacity, shows some life - preferably that they truly believe in what they are doing/saying/singing/praying/etc. I think this is why some churches assess their volunteers before they can participate in a service in a visible role. I understand that this can be exclusionist and generally may not be possible in smaller churches, but maybe it's something we need to consider more. And I know it requires all members of the body of Christ to build each other up.
My question is, "Why is there a view that it is so essential to have a piano that it is a concern to have a service without a piano? Why is piano apparently a 'de facto' instrument that must be present otherwise the music might not go well?"
Your instrument pyramid depends partly on the style of music you are looking to implement. However, on a basic level, you need to focus on filling out the rhythm section first.
(Also, their enthusiasm is fantastic, but I feel like we have a habit of using too many vocalists.)
Posted in: A Single Thematic Approach to Reformed Worship
What if it's not an either or proposition? What if we can work on making our liturgy flow more by making transitions more seamless (unless we want intentional silence)? What if we "boldly" decided to have the music continue in the background when we hear God's word? What if we made sure that when someone is reading they came up at the ending of the song instead of when it was over? No comment on right or wrong, but ideas.
Posted in: Paying the Piper?
Tough one to deal with, having to draw the line between what should be volunteer and what should be paid work. This difficulty extends to any worship director/coordinator that your church may have.
One thing I think I could agree on, but still probably not clear cut depending on who you talk to (what in life really is beyond the story of salvation?), is the provision of music and other such supplies (strings, sticks, etc) to the musicians and singers. These are items that are being used in the ministry of the church and comparable supplies are regularly provided to other ministries. Although, if you're regularly demanding gold-plated guitar strings, I think we might have an issue. :) (Maybe a stipend instead?)
I personally do not expect to be paid for the amount of time I put into learning my instrument because I want to volunteer my time and do something I love to do, but I know we all come from different life experiences so not all will agree. But I am only in a worship leader role and the actual service planning is completed by another individual so if I were doing both consistently I might feel differently. (I suppose if I was paid and considered self-employed I might also be able to claim some home office and auto expenses on my tax return and donate the money I made back to the church for a tax credit...)
If there are not enough/no musicians in the church and outside musicians need to be brought in, they should be offered compensation where the church can afford it - it is up to the individual offering their "services" to determine whether they want to volunteer their time or not. But it is not nice to see churches where there are capable musicians as part of the congregation and outside musicians are always being brought in.
One thing that paying inside musicians could do is make it awkward if you have to stop paying someone because they are not pulling their weight or do not pay someone at all because their skill level is not there (not that this should be the sole reason not to pay musicians, just a musing)
Sorry for all the competing thoughts I have going on in this comment. It makes sense in my head...
Posted in: Music Fasting
Hello Todd,
Thanks for sharing and providing directions to the sermon recordings. I now know what I'll be listening to on the way to and from the in-laws this weekend.
Peace,
Adom
Posted in: What Do We Mean by "Vibrant" Worship?
Vibrant is not necessarily a well run/produced/whatever worship service - it can simply mean a service that is "full of energy and enthusiasm" (thank you Google). We could sing "The Church's One Foundation" with only an organ and singers and it could be vibrant and we could do the some with a "full band" and it could be dead. What comes to mind specifically are the times when we are in the Sunday morning service and it looks/sounds/feels like people could be dead when they are supposed to be aiding/leading the church in worship in some capacity. I recognize that there might be any number of reasons why the individual might look like they are in a food coma (including nerves), but it seems important that whoever is in a leadership position in a service, in whatever capacity, shows some life - preferably that they truly believe in what they are doing/saying/singing/praying/etc. I think this is why some churches assess their volunteers before they can participate in a service in a visible role. I understand that this can be exclusionist and generally may not be possible in smaller churches, but maybe it's something we need to consider more. And I know it requires all members of the body of Christ to build each other up.
Posted in: The Instrument Pyramid
My question is, "Why is there a view that it is so essential to have a piano that it is a concern to have a service without a piano? Why is piano apparently a 'de facto' instrument that must be present otherwise the music might not go well?"
Your instrument pyramid depends partly on the style of music you are looking to implement. However, on a basic level, you need to focus on filling out the rhythm section first.
(Also, their enthusiasm is fantastic, but I feel like we have a habit of using too many vocalists.)