In the first two installments of this ongoing conversation about lay musicians in the Church, we have heard from a lay musician and a pastor, both of whom are musicians. Brittany Hurd and Caleb Skogen offer helpful insights from their respective stations. My comments will be from the vantage point of a former chief musician.
A quick study of Scripture on singing and worship makes it abundantly clear that all people are to sing praises unto the Lord. And there are instructions and examples as to what and how such sung worship should be offered and performed (skillfully, with understanding, enthusiastically, joyfully, beautifully, accompanied by instruments, etc.). For this discussion, I will just assume basic agreement that lay musicians should participate in worship at the very least via congregational singing. Beyond congregational singing, how and to what extent lay musicians participate in worship is the question.
Despite relatively clear biblical teaching on music, the church has frequently disagreed about musical matters and made a mess of what ought to be rather straight forward. There is a widely held view within the Church that the music ministry should be mainly, if not entirely, volunteer in nature, which is to say a lay ministry. Related ideas which often follow include “we have no formal choir as the congregation is the choir,” and “anyone with a heart to musically serve should be allowed to serve (regardless of ability).” Even when this isn’t believed philosophically, it is a practically held position as many churches do not prioritize hiring a vocationally trained musician. Peter Leithart in his book From Silence to Song suggests the need for all churches to hire, and ordain if possible, a theologically and musically trained man to lead the music (Leithart, Silence to Song, Canon Press, 2003, pp.124-125).
While having a vocational church musician and other highly skilled musicians in a church has at times led to the minimization or exclusion of the laity, this isn’t a reason to exclude such leadership any more than it would be a good idea to do away with pastors, elders, and deacons due to historic or local abuses by such officers in the Church. The biblical model for musical leadership in the Church is that of the Chief Musician who oversees other trained musicians to lead, teach, and disciple the congregation. “Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was instructor in charge of the music, because he was skillful.” (1 Chr. 15:22) Chenaniah oversaw the other music leaders (Heman, Asaph, and Ethan and their brethren) who were appointed “to be the singers accompanied by instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, by raising the voice with resounding joy.” (1 Chr. 15:16) Of course, many of the psalm incipits begin “To the Chief Musician” (To the Choir Director). That would assume a Chief Musician and a choir, lay or “professional.”
The Song of Deborah begins with these words: “When leaders lead in Israel, When the people willingly offer themselves, Bless the Lord! Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.” (Judges 5:2-3). I think this summarizes the situation of which we are discussing perfectly. Godly, faithful, competent leaders who answer the call and a willing populace eager to step into the fray is an awesome combination that God endorses and blesses. This social dynamic applies to all relationships and communities in a Christian economy: a variety of roles, abilities, callings, etc. working together towards a unified purpose (ecclesiastical, societal, familial, or musical).
One of the reasons the state of church music is frequently a mess, confused, at war, anemic, etc. is that our musical armies are not led by skillful leaders. Even when one does exist within a church body, how he should function with regards to the officers, lay musicians, the congregation, is often not very functional or well defined. Armies need a commander, sheep need a shepherd, and musical ensembles need a director. And if all are enlisted in God’s holy war, if we are all sheep, and if we are all in one of the choirs, then we need leadership who can lead skillfully, delegate appropriately, and seek the good
and wellbeing of all.
My focus on vocational musicians is not because I have forgotten our main point of lay musicians; rather, that I desire for churches to function with a biblical approach to musical discipleship. We should want to be training up a most impressive people’s militia (congregational singing) as well as various branches of trained military soldiers (lay musicians) all the way up to navy seals and special forces units (vocationally trained musicians). A Chief Musician should have in mind the entire body; not only the top musicians, not only the weakest musicians, or not only everyone in between. A church is a musical body whose various parts should be connected in such a way as to serve and bless, lead and follow, teach and learn from one another as is fitting according to the gifts and abilities of each.
A parable of Christ’s might be fitting here even if it is taken from its context and main point. “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40) This is similar to the principle of “as the head, so the body.” The application to the dynamics of the state of music in any given congregation will go a long way to determining reasons for robust, successful, mature musical congregations or weak, struggling, immature musical congregations. This is a guiding principle for the various music education offerings at New Saint Andrews College where I work. Various levels of music training are offered locally and nationally for all ages. While the college is not the church, it is part of a local and global church community which it seeks to serve, bless, and equip to the best of its ability and the opportunities God affords us.
NSA Freshmen Music Colloquium: music literacy training for all degree seeking students with instruction in music theory, music history, aural skills, and vocal technique
NSA Certificate of Music: advanced training for undergraduate students in music
Chenaniah Summer Music Institute: music teacher training (Kodaly, Suzuki, Conducting)
Conservatory of Music: private and group lessons, ensembles, and classes
Schola Cantorum: yearly literacy classes and Summer Music Camp
NSA-ACCS National High School Honor Choir: auditioned honor choir for the ACCS National Conference
The goal is to equip all the saints to be more skillful and knowledgeable musicians so that they can enjoy God’s great gift of music, praise Him with it in the beauty of holiness, and bless others with it in formal and informal settings. Only a few will be vocationally trained musicians, only some will assist as musical under-shepherds, but all will sing now and forevermore.
With such a model and investment, churches can grow into vibrant, joyful, skillful, music making, worshipping communities from top to bottom. O, that all church communities would provide music literacy training for all, restore music theory primers to our hymnals, reestablish a continuity with our rich heritage of church music from the past, and view the choirs as armies more potent than the sports
teams. Examples such as the Levitical singer-villages (Neh. 12:27-30), the Roman Schola Cantorum, the Lutheran Lateinschule, Kodály music education, early American singing schools provide us with wonderful models unto a most worthy end. Consider…
- What if parents, schools, and churches were to train up their children to be musically literate?
- What if the average Christian sitting in the pew possessed a musical literacy greater than that of a typical state college music graduate?
- What if the Church were to have such a musical transformation?
- Can you imagine if the average congregant could readily sing and understand the motets of Palestrina,
- or the anthems of Tallis and Byrd, or the cantatas of Bach, or the oratorios of Handel?
- Can you imagine if the average congregant could write their own compositions?
If this were the case, what might the compositions and performances of the highly skilled professional musicians be like? I am not sure that I can imagine it. But if it were to come to pass, it would certainly be more glorious, more perfected, more like the heavenly worship pictured in the book of Revelation.
May God grant us a biblical vision for music in the Church and the courage and perseverance to pursue it. May He prosper the work of our hands as we seek to play skillfully and sing with understanding unto Him Who delights over us with singing.
David R. Erb
Mosocw, ID
September 23, 2023
In the first two installments of this ongoing conversation about lay musicians in the Church, we have heard from a lay musician and a pastor, both of whom are musicians. Brittany Hurd and Caleb Skogen offer helpful insights from their respective stations. My comments will be from the vantage point of a former chief musician.
A quick study of Scripture on singing and worship makes it abundantly clear that all people are to sing praises unto the Lord. And there are instructions and examples as to what and how such sung worship should be offered and performed (skillfully, with understanding, enthusiastically, joyfully, beautifully, accompanied by instruments, etc.). For this discussion, I will just assume basic agreement that lay musicians should participate in worship at the very least via congregational singing. Beyond congregational singing, how and to what extent lay musicians participate in worship is the question.
Despite relatively clear biblical teaching on music, the church has frequently disagreed about musical matters and made a mess of what ought to be rather straight forward. There is a widely held view within the Church that the music ministry should be mainly, if not entirely, volunteer in nature, which is to say a lay ministry. Related ideas which often follow include “we have no formal choir as the congregation is the choir,” and “anyone with a heart to musically serve should be allowed to serve (regardless of ability).” Even when this isn’t believed philosophically, it is a practically held position as many churches do not prioritize hiring a vocationally trained musician. Peter Leithart in his book From Silence to Song suggests the need for all churches to hire, and ordain if possible, a theologically and musically trained man to lead the music (Leithart, Silence to Song, Canon Press, 2003, pp.124-125).
While having a vocational church musician and other highly skilled musicians in a church has at times led to the minimization or exclusion of the laity, this isn’t a reason to exclude such leadership any more than it would be a good idea to do away with pastors, elders, and deacons due to historic or local abuses by such officers in the Church. The biblical model for musical leadership in the Church is that of the Chief Musician who oversees other trained musicians to lead, teach, and disciple the congregation. “Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was instructor in charge of the music, because he was skillful.” (1 Chr. 15:22) Chenaniah oversaw the other music leaders (Heman, Asaph, and Ethan and their brethren) who were appointed “to be the singers accompanied by instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, by raising the voice with resounding joy.” (1 Chr. 15:16) Of course, many of the psalm incipits begin “To the Chief Musician” (To the Choir Director). That would assume a Chief Musician and a choir, lay or “professional.”
The Song of Deborah begins with these words: “When leaders lead in Israel, When the people willingly offer themselves, Bless the Lord! Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.” (Judges 5:2-3). I think this summarizes the situation of which we are discussing perfectly. Godly, faithful, competent leaders who answer the call and a willing populace eager to step into the fray is an awesome combination that God endorses and blesses. This social dynamic applies to all relationships and communities in a Christian economy: a variety of roles, abilities, callings, etc. working together towards a unified purpose (ecclesiastical, societal, familial, or musical).
One of the reasons the state of church music is frequently a mess, confused, at war, anemic, etc. is that our musical armies are not led by skillful leaders. Even when one does exist within a church body, how he should function with regards to the officers, lay musicians, the congregation, is often not very functional or well defined. Armies need a commander, sheep need a shepherd, and musical ensembles need a director. And if all are enlisted in God’s holy war, if we are all sheep, and if we are all in one of the choirs, then we need leadership who can lead skillfully, delegate appropriately, and seek the good
and wellbeing of all.
My focus on vocational musicians is not because I have forgotten our main point of lay musicians; rather, that I desire for churches to function with a biblical approach to musical discipleship. We should want to be training up a most impressive people’s militia (congregational singing) as well as various branches of trained military soldiers (lay musicians) all the way up to navy seals and special forces units (vocationally trained musicians). A Chief Musician should have in mind the entire body; not only the top musicians, not only the weakest musicians, or not only everyone in between. A church is a musical body whose various parts should be connected in such a way as to serve and bless, lead and follow, teach and learn from one another as is fitting according to the gifts and abilities of each.
A parable of Christ’s might be fitting here even if it is taken from its context and main point. “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40) This is similar to the principle of “as the head, so the body.” The application to the dynamics of the state of music in any given congregation will go a long way to determining reasons for robust, successful, mature musical congregations or weak, struggling, immature musical congregations. This is a guiding principle for the various music education offerings at New Saint Andrews College where I work. Various levels of music training are offered locally and nationally for all ages. While the college is not the church, it is part of a local and global church community which it seeks to serve, bless, and equip to the best of its ability and the opportunities God affords us.
NSA Freshmen Music Colloquium: music literacy training for all degree seeking students with instruction in music theory, music history, aural skills, and vocal technique
NSA Certificate of Music: advanced training for undergraduate students in music
Chenaniah Summer Music Institute: music teacher training (Kodaly, Suzuki, Conducting)
Conservatory of Music: private and group lessons, ensembles, and classes
Schola Cantorum: yearly literacy classes and Summer Music Camp
NSA-ACCS National High School Honor Choir: auditioned honor choir for the ACCS National Conference
The goal is to equip all the saints to be more skillful and knowledgeable musicians so that they can enjoy God’s great gift of music, praise Him with it in the beauty of holiness, and bless others with it in formal and informal settings. Only a few will be vocationally trained musicians, only some will assist as musical under-shepherds, but all will sing now and forevermore.
With such a model and investment, churches can grow into vibrant, joyful, skillful, music making, worshipping communities from top to bottom. O, that all church communities would provide music literacy training for all, restore music theory primers to our hymnals, reestablish a continuity with our rich heritage of church music from the past, and view the choirs as armies more potent than the sports
teams. Examples such as the Levitical singer-villages (Neh. 12:27-30), the Roman Schola Cantorum, the Lutheran Lateinschule, Kodály music education, early American singing schools provide us with wonderful models unto a most worthy end. Consider…
- What if parents, schools, and churches were to train up their children to be musically literate?
- What if the average Christian sitting in the pew possessed a musical literacy greater than that of a typical state college music graduate?
- What if the Church were to have such a musical transformation?
- Can you imagine if the average congregant could readily sing and understand the motets of Palestrina,
- or the anthems of Tallis and Byrd, or the cantatas of Bach, or the oratorios of Handel?
- Can you imagine if the average congregant could write their own compositions?
If this were the case, what might the compositions and performances of the highly skilled professional musicians be like? I am not sure that I can imagine it. But if it were to come to pass, it would certainly be more glorious, more perfected, more like the heavenly worship pictured in the book of Revelation.
May God grant us a biblical vision for music in the Church and the courage and perseverance to pursue it. May He prosper the work of our hands as we seek to play skillfully and sing with understanding unto Him Who delights over us with singing.
David R. Erb
Mosocw, ID
September 23, 2023