Blog

Respect the time of a volunteer.We've got a simple schedule during the week. Choir meets from 6-7. I try to split the time of the choir between preparing for the next Sunday that we'll lead in worship, and working on seasonal material. I'd say that our rehearsals are fairly fast-paced, and if you'll engage, you'll pick up a lot of music in a short amount of time. I stand in front of our choir room at a small console-piano, and teach mostly by repetition and rote, as the majority of our folks are not readers (music that is). I supplement…

You WILL offend . . . I could write a book. I won't, but I could write a book about the offenses that people have taken to ministry decisions I've made in 15 years.I'm a people-pleaser, and it took me a long time to realize that there are and will be people that are offended by something I do, or don't do. Think about it for a minute. If you've got 500 people coming to church - all 500 of those car stereos will have a different set of radio presets. Musical preferences are subjective, and nothing gets people's passions…

Be Consistent.Find a way to provide some consistency to your weekly ministry, which gives those that want to get involved something to count on. For me - the same guy sits at the piano every week. And whether some would think that's a good thing, or a bad thing - it provides vocalists and instrumentalists a consistent musical presence each week -which allows for various drummers, guitarists, bassist, and vocalists to rotate through and learn what to listen for when matching up strumming, beating, and singing.The downside? It's difficult for a pianist to get involved unless they want to play…