Because of the role music plays in the church service, the offertory must be selected with care. Think about where the solo will occur in the order of worship. Are you following a lively choral anthem that will lead right into the congregational worship? Will the offering follow a generally somber prayer for the needs of the congregants? If you find yourself in a church without a strong liturgical tradition as I do, the positioning of the offertory may be altered weekly. There are few scenarios worse than a grandiose arrangement that follows a quiet time of meditation. Without advance thought and planning, you can sometimes find yourself in an awkward situation.

Additionally, it is important to think about your congregation. An uber-contemporary church may not respond to a classical setting of your favorite hymn. In contrast, the latest praise and worship chorus is probably not the best option for a high liturgical service. Most of us probably find ourselves somewhere in the middle of these two extremes – in what is commonly referred to as a blended service. In these settings, the choices become more difficult and more exciting as well. How often have you tried to find a great arrangement that blends a contemporary chorus with a traditional hymn without giving the impression that one of the pieces is more important or, worse still, more holy? There are a few arrangers today who are doing just these type of settings, but they are few and far between, generally demanding extreme technical facility as well.

More often, I find myself looking for arrangements of hymns that are approached with harmonic and rhythmic freshness. My current congregation is a multi-generational group with eclectic tastes in music. I have quickly accepted the fact that I will never please everyone present with my selections. Because I have so many preferences in my congregation, I get to explore some unusual settings. Some of our favorites are jazz settings of hymns such as Leaning on the Everlasting Arms and a complex harmonic treatment of Great is Thy Faithfulness. I didn’t begin using these unusual arrangements immediately though; just as with all other areas of ministry, as the congregation develops trust in you as a music minister (for that is what every church pianist should strive to be), they will also extend that trust to your musical selectivity.

Here are a few closing thoughts on making your weekly offertory a highlight of the weekly service for those that you serve.

Select pieces weekly in an attitude of prayer. All too often we forget that our solo will be a part of the worship service. We can simply choose to provide pretty background music while the important activity of collecting the congregation’s cash is performed. I think the better decision – and the one for which we strive – is to play music that is anointed by the Holy Spirit to aid those who are hearing as they worship in the act of giving.

Always have a few selections that you can fall back on. We’ve all been in the situation where the week got too hectic and our preparation time suffered. Perhaps the scheduled soloist became ill at the last minute, making the planned offertory less than desirable. Having a few selections in your back pocket gives you some flexibility whenever the need arises to make a last minute substitution. Use them sparingly though or they will become part of the normal rotation and you’ll find yourself in need of some new fall-backs.

Don’t sacrifice beauty for showmanship. Have you ever listened to a church pianist play a solo only to later ask “What WAS that song?” The arpeggios are beautiful and the tricky scale passages are impressive, but if they get in the way of the music’s message, we’re taking the focus off of the One we are to worship and shining the spotlight directly on ourselves. (Ouch…is anyone else feeling the sting of those toes that were just stepped on?)

NEVER attempt to play beyond your technical abilities! As a musician, I am all for stretching myself and continuously developing my technique. The worship service is not a practice hall, though. Just as bad as shining the spotlight on how beautifully we play is presenting a glaring example of an ill-prepared solo as part of a worship service. I am not in competition with the pianist at the church across the street, so I don’t have to attempt to play as beautifully as she does. I just have to bring my musical offering to the Heavenly Father each week as a loving sacrifice that brings Him honor and my worship. When we try out that new arrangement that is just a bit too difficult (or – Heaven forbid – completely beyond our skills) we risk interrupting the flow of the service and distracting the congregation from their worship.

Always play for the Audience of One. This is the last point on my list because I believe it is the most important one. All that I am as a Christian, a musician, and a person is because of Jesus. It is a wonderful feeling to have an audience respond to beautiful playing with appreciative applause – and, let me add, there is nothing wrong with receiving these accolades! Scripture teaches us to give honor to whom it is due. More than anything though, I want the applause of Heaven that comes as I play for the audience of One – the One who gave His all that I might have life. He is the source of the music and our constant goal should be that our music bring attention only to His grace, mercy, and greatness.

Do I get tired of trying to find a new piece each week? Of course! Like everyone else, I have a core set of arrangements that I rotate through. But the blessing of sharing my gift with God’s people outweighs the long rehearsals. Occasionally, God opens doors because of our obedience as well. A few years ago, the congregation provided an opportunity to professionally record some of my favorite arrangements. In July, I will have the chance to sit down in the studio again and record two new CDs – one for Christmas, the other songs of praise and thanks.

Happy playing!
Kennith

A graduate of the University of Memphis (M.M. and D.M.A.) and Pepperdine University (B.A.), Dr. Kennith Freeman is an active pianist. A native Arkansan, Freeman is currently a member of two chamber ensembles: the Cox-Freeman Duo and the 3-D Trio. In addition to his performing schedule, Dr. Freeman is a member of the music faculty at Mid-South Community College in West Memphis and serve as Director of Music and Children’s Ministries at Abundant Grace Ministries in Collierville, Tennessee. Follow his thoughts about all aspects of collaborative piano and church music at http://freemanpiano.blogspot.com/

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It was during the Medieval Period that the first church dramas began to appear. As Richard Courtney, famous drama teacher and theatre scholar, pointed out that the Mass itself of course has the seeds of drama – chanted dialogue and a theme of action, but not the essential quality of impersonation.

Impersonation began with the trope sung during the night before Easter. A trope was an extra chant written to accompany church music on special occasions. In the Mass, the trope had been sung by the choir. When repositioned, it became a separate little scene performed at Matins on Easter morning; much like a tiny opera, three people impersonated the Marys and one the angel before an improvised sepulchre.

Eventually, the small-scale tropes evolved into more complex dramatizations of Easter and Christmas stories. The Bible stories were enacted in the church by priests. As these plays achieved a wide popularity, the dramas began to be written in the vernacular and performed outside the church proper, although still on the church grounds.

Through this linguistic and spacial separation, the church dramas became more secularized. Eventually, the audio dramas were produced and performed by laypersons, guild members who would enact cycles of miracle plays based upon biblical stores and the lives of the saints. These plays included many secular and temporal elements of farce and mime that appealed to the medieval audiences.

Given this story, it is no wonder that the Catholic (and other sects) Church continues to be a most natural environment for drama and theatre. During the 1950s and the 1960s, at the beginnings of the Off-Broadway avant-grade movement in New York City, several churches provided homes for gifted theatre artists.

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Exposed:

Even though a praise band is a group, there is usually only one person playing each instrument and maybe a couple a singers, but even the singers usually are singing different harmonies. So, everyone in the band is exposed. There is no cover from other musicians. If the base player hits the wrong notes, then it’s very obvious. If the drummer can’t keep a steady beat, not only is that usually apparent to the congregation, but it usually makes the rest of the band mess up as well. So, unlike the choirs of the past, with a band, it’s not so easy to not care if someone can’t sing or play well.

The Big Problem:

Church people are “nice”. That’s not necessarily true for everyone, but as a whole, church people tend to not want to hurt people’s feelings. My question is whether that’s really being “nice”. Personally, I don’t think allowing someone to humiliate themselves in public is very nice. I have a theory that most of the people who try out for American Idol who stink try out because people at their church told them they were good and should try out. Perhaps in some cases congregation members who have not music training may not realize how bad a performance is because they don’t have the trained, critical ear of a musician, but I think in most cases, the people are just trying to be “nice”. Maybe what they are really doing is trying to avoid their own discomfort, but you can be honest about a person’s lack of musical ability without being mean.

The Other Big Problem:

Musicians are arrogant, stubborn, and opinionated. Just kidding…or am I? A while back we had an issue with some of the musicians in my church. I was talking to a friend about it and he said they have an expression in their church, “They’re an artist.” It’s not an insult, but more of an understanding. True artists tend to be passionate and very personal about their art. So, they can come off seeming arrogant, stubborn, or very opinionated. Whatever you want to call it, the passion can cause for some difficult issues. The truth is that most church music programs (and drama programs) have issues because of this, more so than other ministries of the church.

Two Perspectives:

So, let’s say that as a band leader, you have overcome the need to be “nice” and have realized you can actually tell someone when they aren’t very good. When do you do that? Sure, if you have a congregation of 1000, you probably have several good musicians for every instrument. You could probably even hold auditions. However, if you have a congregation of 100, your options are limited. You may not have people experienced with certain instruments or musical accessories. From my experience, your decision of who can be in the band (based on skill) depends on your perspective of what the band is for:

1. One perspective is that the band is leading worship and with the congregation in mind, the goal is to have as much quality to the music as possible.

2. Another perspective is that the band plays the role of an outreach or a way for members to be involved in the church. The goal is to include people.

These are two opposing perspectives. With the first perspective, if someone isn’t very good, they will not be allowed to play in the band. The band may even do without some instruments or singers in order to make sure that all those involved are skilled and the music is good. It’s an exclusive group. With the second perspective, being an inclusive group is the goal, so people who have little musical skill or experience are allowed to join the group. The music quality may suffer (and probably will), but people get to be involved and feel more a part of the church.

What’s The Right Approach?

So, which of the two approaches to the church music is best? I don’t know. I think its decision you have to make for your church. Church’s with smaller congregations may not have much choice if they want to have a band. They may just have to take what they can get. So, your congregation situation may determine which approach you take. Whichever approach you decide on, there are two things you should not do.

1. Don’t let your decision to have your band be more inclusive be because you just don’t have the spine to tell someone they aren’t very good. Make the decision before you start the band and be honest with each other.

2. Don’t let arrogance creep into the group. There’s no room for the “I’m not playing if they are in the group” attitudes. You can be a skilled musician and be humble.

There is also one thing you should do. Always remember that this is a service for the Lord and keep a servant’s heart. Servant doesn’t mean pushover or spineless, but it is a humble attitude and a desire to provide the best you can do.

Francis Beaudry is currently the conductor of two orchestras. He is a writer and arranger and has published musical works for choir and orchestra. In addition he is the president of TheMaxZone.net, an online musical accessories superstore offering instrument accessories, musical accessories, and more.

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