A New Beginning - part 2

This is part 2 of an article on Ethnomusicology and the local church. Click here to begin with part 1.

THE BACKGROUND

Introduction

Before you begin to make any changes, you need to be fully aware of the musical background of the church: where the people are musically. You should also determine why you are making these changes. Change for the sake of change may bring about temporary excitement, but it may also be the finale of your ministry among that local body.

Church Growth Evangelism courses often teach aspiring ministers to avoid the desire to make changes to what they perceive as a needy area of the church until they have ministered in that church for at least two years. The first two years should be a time of building relationships and trust, as well as learning from the people what they have to offer. It is also an excellent time to learn what they consider to be the real needs of the church. Unfortunately, the average minister feels God suddenly calling him to a new church before the end of the second year, possibly because they failed to get to know their church body first.

All good learning begins by asking questions and seeking to find the answers. Asking questions also helps the church body see that you are interested in them as people. Following are some areas that you should investigate before making any major changes in the musical culture of the church body.

Where are the people musically?

Begin by looking into the history of the local body. At this point you will have many more questions then you could possibly answer during the first few months of service. Inquire about the individual members’ experiences with music and worship, both positive and negative. Try to discover what brought them to this point in their musical knowledge, style, and abilities. Look into the family life of the members so that you can learn about their desires, tastes, and needs. Seek to find the similarities and differences between their style of sacred/church music and what is considered popular music to the individuals of the church body.

You could even begin your fact-finding mission before you actually arrive at the church. After I have been called to the past three churches in my ministry, I prepared a questionnaire for the music ministry volunteers. I asked basic questions about their experience musically, their preferences musically, as well as non-music questions. One question was about their favorite local restaurant. I sent this to the church between the time they called me and my actual first week on the field. I also asked the church office to send me a list of volunteers, soloists, instrumentalists, choral members, etc., along with a church directory so that I could begin to recognize names and faces before I arrived. Once I arrived I would go through the survey sheets before my first meetings with individuals so that I had a basic understanding of my new church family. And for fun I shared some of the information from the surveys during our first retreat together as a “Top Ten” things our music ministry liked.

Most churches have historical records to some degree. These would be another valuable source for unearthing the paths and trends of your new church. If your church recently decided to clean out the closets and began by trashing fifty-year-old records of the music ministry, you may find some information at your local area office (district office, diocese, etc.). Reading about the various music camps, conferences, and contests in which your church has participated will help you understand their level of commitment. Perhaps you will even find old scoring sheets from contests that can let you know what musical tastes the past ministers have had and how well the people coped with these differing styles. Newspaper clippings might reveal some interesting facts about the involvement of the church in the community. You may want to check the Internet or a local library to see if past copies of your local newspaper can be found.

Dusty, mildewed bulletins will shed some light on the variety or lack thereof in the worship services of the past. Take note of the groups and individuals that have been invited to the church for revivals and concerts in recent years. Repeat performers are certain to be those who packed the house. Their musical style is most likely the preferred style among the elder generation if not the whole congregation in general. Be sure to take one important fact into count when looking at bulletins and performing groups: often the church staff (pastor, education director, church evangelist, minister of music, youth minister, children's minister, etc.) planned the worship services, events, and revivals according to their personal tastes and not those of the people.

Nothing beats the direct approach—go to the source—speak to the individual members. You should avoid starting new committees to help with this project. You will learn far more by approaching individuals and asking for their advice and help. Everyone likes to feel wanted. Do not get discouraged if you encounter some individuals who feel that they are already too involved to help you. Invite individual members to join you for lunch at some local place of interest, or, if your salary or church budget is not adequate for that, a cup of coffee at a McDonald’s or local cafe. Do not meet with people at the church to avoid paying for the coffee or biting into your hectic schedule. People feel more inhibited within the confines of the church building. You want to hear the real dirt about the music ministry without getting into gossip. As soon as the individual begins to mention names, or the conversation takes a turn towards speculation and accusation, you should gently let the individual know that you are not interested in that much reality.

Click here to continue to part 3.