|
Philosophy of Christian Music |
|
Every
aspect of a church's ministry is subject to the command in Ephesians 5:10 "Proving what is
acceptable unto the Lord." Music is no exception and must be designed to bring glory to God. PHILOSOPHY The
goal of Tabernacle is Spirit-controlled music which is warm, singable,
melodic, theologically correct, Christ honoring, and speaks to the heart. The
principles of Spirit-controlled music correspond to the tripartite nature of
man, namely: spirit, mind, and body. The order is significant. When music is
primarily physical, secondarily mental and lastly spiritual, sensuality
emerges as the dominant force. Musicians
readily concur music consists of three elements: melody, harmony, and rhythm.
The Word of God in Ephesians 5:18 and 19 identifies music as a natural
expression of a Spirit-filled life. "And be not drunk with wine, wherein
is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the
Lord." The elements of good Christian music and man's counterparts are clearly defined.
The spirit responds to melody, the horizontal movement of the notes; the mind
responds to harmony; harmony is the vertical progression of the chords, and
the body responds to the rhythm which is the pulse or flow of the
composition. Spirit-controlled music will therefore be that which emphasizes
the melody first, the harmony second and the rhythm last. IMPLEMENTATION There
should be adequate preparation. Pray
and strive for a quality performance. There is nothing spiritual about
sloppiness. Select music appropriate
for the occasion. A light, happy type song such as, "I'm Going to
Stand Up, Shout Out," is more suited to the informal atmosphere of
Sunday School or Vacation Bible School. If there is a question regarding the
propriety of any number, please check it with the pastor. Worldly
styles such as gospel rock, twangy, nasal hillbilly, rollicking
country-western, and crooner-pop artist are incompatible with the church's
basic philosophy. Gestures are to be
minimal. The flamboyant arm-throwing and gyrations of the pop artist
are distractive to the message of the song. In our music the aim is to direct
attention to the Lord Jesus Christ. Taped backgrounds are not to be used
for the following reasons: 1. They allow a sound, and even
instruments, in the church via tape, which under live conditions would be
Intolerable, i.e. cocktail music, rhythm and blues, country and western, soft
rock, jazz, etc. 2. The musicians making the sound tracks
(London or Nashville, or wherever) are not for the greater part professing
Christians. 3. Interpretation is restricted.
The singer is wedded to the tape and cannot vary to the song by changing
tempo, or pausing, if the Spirit of God should so impress. The tape just
keeps moving. 4. They stifle musicianship: · Accompanists do not learn to follow
properly. · Musicians are not trained to perform
with "live" musical instruments. · The discovery and training of new
talent for accompaniment is no longer a priority. · They can hide vocal weakness and
improper technique which should be corrected rather than covered. Sound
amplification. Psychologists identify humans with three zones: the
social zone (five feet or so away); the privacy zone (an arm's length or so
away); and an intimate zone (close up). We do not permit the breathy,
sensuous, pillow talk tones practiced by the current crop of
microphone-swallowing Christian recording musicians. Microphones will be used
for one purpose: projection and amplification of sounds which do not violate
the intimacy zone. Mikes will remain on the stands and vocalists will be a
comfortable distance away. Twelve inches is a good "rule". Musical
teams must learn to blend without the assistance of electronic amplification. Musicians
are to hit their notes cleanly. In short, avoid scooping. This
deliberate sliding is an old night-club sound technique. Use
songs whose lyrics are compatible with the musical score. There is a
real sense in which the music also is the message. Avoid an overuse of
experience-oriented numbers, those heavy on the use of “I,” "me,” and
feeling. Choose songs which stress the atonement and are rich in theological
content. Do not hesitate to request assistance. General
requirements for everyone participating in the music program (accompanists,
director, choir members, song leaders, musical groups, instrumentalists,
soloists, etc.) as well as individuals in leadership positions: Pastor,
deacons, Sunday School teachers, ushers, etc. Faithfulness: We feel it only
reasonable that
those who minister in music exhibit the same faithfulness in attendance as
those who serve in the Christian Education Department. Specifically:
attendance should be prompt and regular at all services and a majority of
activities sponsored by the church. Service: We feel it only reasonable that those who minister in music exhibit a
servant's heart in other areas of the church. Those who minister in music
should be willing to serve in other less public ministries such as church
cleaning, work days, fellowship set-up and clean-up etc.. Those members
who are unwilling to minister in others areas will be prohibited from
participating in the music ministry. Service in these other areas will
exhibit a true servant's heart to those they minister to in song. Appearance: In a positive sense we want to look as sharp and neat as we
possibly can. Although we know man looks on the outward appearance and God
looks on the heart, there is direction within the Word which indicates we are
to be discerning in our appearance. That which repulses or seduces has no
place in the lives of God's children. · For the Ladies we ask that the
hemline completely cover the knee. To be chic one does not have to dress in a
gaudy or sensuous fashion. We believe that pantsuits, slacks, jeans, shorts,
and similar clothing are too casual for services of the church. · For the Men we request a conventional
haircut. Hair that billows over the collar or is combed over the ear is not
acceptable. We ask that moustaches or beards be well-groomed, trimmed and
clean. We ask that sideburns be no lower that the bottom of the earlobe. Song
leaders and special music performers are asked to wear a shirt and tie. PROCEDURES Pianists If you
are scheduled to play the piano or you must arrive and be playing a prelude
not later than 15 minutes prior to the start of the service. Please remember
that you are setting the mood for the upcoming service. The postlude consists
of one or two verses of a hymn. Remember the song leader is in charge of the
service, not you. Take all your direction from him, even if they are wrong
musically. Do not set your own pace, look for the pace the leader wants to
set. When
making introductions for: · Congregational
Songs: They should be short - the last poetic phrase of the song which will be
approx. 1-3 measures; tempo - try to anticipate the tempo which the song
leader will use. End your introduction in THAT tempo - don't change it. · Special Music: Play an introduction long enough to cover the movement of the
group up to the pulpit with a 3-5 second over-run to allow them to GET SET
and hear their pitch. · Invitation Songs: Play softly, slowly and evenly without adding a lot of extra
runs and chords. When the pastor begins the song immediately begin at the
beginning of the song . . . you do not have to cadence to get to the right
spot! As the audience begins to sing, change tempo to correct singing tempo.
Accompanists should Watch and Pray so as to pick up any signals of
communication from the song leader. Special Music The
purpose of special music is to direct the congregation to begin focusing on
Jesus Christ and the sermon to follow. It is not to show off your singing
abilities or to impress others with your voice. Those who want to participate
in Special Music must follow the following procedures: They
must search their own heart and make sure that they have no unconfessed sin
in their life. Your song will only be as good as your spiritual life. They
must pray about a particular song that they believe God would have them to
sing. Ensure that your song is appropriate in preparing others to focus
on the sermon. Also, keep in mind what the sermon series is and find a song
that corresponds to that series. Avoid, fast paced songs that are normally
sung by the congregation. They
must present for approval, their song to the pastor/music leader prior to
practicing their song. This accomplishes two things: One, if the song is
deemed inappropriate, they will not have wasted time in practice; Two, they
will be assigned a date in which to sing their special music. Music
MUST be selected from the music available in the church music library. We
currently have two to three hundred different songs in our library and are
constantly adding to it. Our library provides a variety of appropriate
music to be used in special music. Music may be added to our library by
presenting the music to the song leader/pastor for approval. However, music
will only be added to the library if it is an original copy that the church
may keep permanently. In other words, a copy of a song from an outside source
is not acceptable. Great
vocal talent is not required to participate in special music. A heart that
loves the Lord and is willing to serve Him in any way is. |