Introduction
The music ministry of a church is important for the
entire congregation. For the unsaved, it sets the mood for them to hear the
gospel and receive the gift of salvation. For the newly saved, it should be
exciting enough to awaken them to hear the Word of God for instruction. For the
more mature, it sets the mood for praise and worship of the Lord. While the
right music cannot save a dead service, the wrong music could seriously injure a
living one. The music can be either a vitamin or a tranquilizer.
The Leadership
The pastor of the church is the pastor of the music.
He is responsible to see that the proper music is played and sung. No music
should be performed in the church that has not been approved by the pastor. This
aside, the music minister should have general control and liberty of the music.
The pastor retains his veto power. The music minister should make it his goal to
lead the congregation into worship while staying within the bounds that the
pastor has instructed.
The Type of Music
The type of music in a church should always be
Christian music. A prelude should introduce and set the pace for the service. It
should be started approximately ten minutes before the service and consist of
lively music that is of the same nature as that of the sermon. If it is an
evangelistic sermon, the music should be evangelistic as well.
The pastor should go through the songbook and make notations on the various
hymns that are to be sung. This will assist the music minister in his selection
of music and should prevent the selection of hymns that are not Scriptural. The
song leader should keep track of which music is used in each service. This will
prevent the over or under use of songs.
The Choir
The choir, if used, should set the pace for the
service. In many churches the choir is the first thing a person sees when they
come in the door. The choir is on stage and up front for everyone to see. They
should not be misbehaving and inattentive during the service. The choir should
be prepared for the service, having practiced all of the songs to be sung and
have a knowledge of the hymn numbers so that they will not have to whisper them
around or pass an open songbook down the rows, either of which would be a
distraction.
Conclusion
The music ministry of a church should be virtually
transparent, like the fish tank of an aquarium. No one should really notice it,
but if it wasn't there what a mess it would be. The music adds to the beauty of
the service and sets the hearts of the people right. It leads the believer into
the worship of God and sets the heart of the unbeliever to receive Jesus
Christ.
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