Many churches have difficulty finding quality musicians to play for their church services. “We’ve put up notices” they tell me. “And no one responds!” Even worse, they find themselves stuck with musicians with either inappropriate skills or poor attitudes, and have to make do because they couldn’t find anyone better.
If you want to have the best odds for finding the right musicians for your church services, follow the guidelines I am sharing here.
INTRODUCTION
There are four principles deduced from the New Testament worship which, if applied, will help produce a God-honouring music and worship ministry. These are found in Colossians 3:16,17 and they include the memorandum or message of music; means of music; medium or matrix of music and the motive of the musician.
MEMORANDUM OF MUSIC
Don’t you get frustrated with the system of unwritten rules that restrict the “proper” use of music in worship? Who wrote those rules, anyway? I can hear the Spirit of God laugh as we poor human build our cages out of fear and ignorance, and say, “Stay in there!” These are meant to be funny (Come on, they’re a little funny.) but also thought-provoking and even liberating.
1. The only hymns that should be sung in worship are the old ones, the ones “we” learned as children. (Note: Was the writer of Psalm 96 wrong? At one time ALL hymns, anthems, and other pieces of music were new.)