Serving the Lord in Music Ministry

I didn't want anyone to miss Pat Gohn's exceptional comments below on Larry's guitar plea. Thank you to Pat for sharing her wisdom and encouragement. Here are her insights:

Dear Larry,

I have been a church musician for 30 years. And I compliment you on your willingness to come forward and offer to play for your church. It is a joy and blessing to serve the Lord in music ministry, but it is also a responsibility not lightly entered into if you are in a position of leadership.

I have a few suggestions.

1. If you haven't already, seek guidance from your pastor and/or parish staff to see A) which Mass or masses would be the proper liturgical setting for the kind of worship music you wish to offer: chant, contemporary worship & praise, or traditional hymn singing; and B)see if the parish can offer any budget for the purchase of sheet music, hymnals, or the creation of a custom hymnal.

2. Once, you figure out those two items in #1, then you have a better path of direction. Make sure that if your church has a liturgy team to help with planning, that you get involved with that process. The point is, get plugged in with the decision makers in your parish. In short, your musical selections should tie in appropriately with the themes of the liturgical calendar.

3. A caution: There is very little "free" music. All music has licensing fees for use--especially if you intend to have copies of the words and/or music for the members of your congregation. (After all, this is how composers and music publishers earn a living.) There are certain hymns that have little to no fees affiliated, and these are usually called "public domain." Many people mistakenly believe that if one is performing music for God in a church that there should be no costs involved, but alas, that is not the case. Frankly, a church can get into legal hot water if it violates copyright laws, especially for the distribution of songsheets, etc, without proper licensing.

4. If your church gives you the green light, then do your research! There are many pre-fabbed hymnal collections out there already, but you may want to start out will making weekly songsheets/worship aids if your church is really small. For starters, get an education at this website: http://www.ccli.com/US.aspx You'll find that church music publishers charge based on the size of your church and the number of reprints you make. Another idea, is to go to your diocesan office--each diocese usually has a "worship or liturgy" office. They can direct you to other resources and possibly other musicians in your area who may be of help.

5. Once you have the necessary permissions, and a plan for what kind of music is called for... practice, practice, practice! We want to serve the Lord to the best of our abilities.

6. Learn how to use the church sound system properly! Many a church musician falters in this critical last step. If you are not heard, all of the other preliminary work is in vain.

7. Once in front of a microphone, make sure you possess a leadership style that is inviting and welcoming, not "showy" or "haughty". Give glory to God by being a servant-leader with the focus on the Mass, not the music.

8. Encourage others to join in. Find out if any parishioners belong to a community choir and ar local orchestra, etc. You may find others are willing to share their gifts.

9. Finally, some advice from St. Francis of Assisi: "First, do what's necessary, then what's possible, then before you know it, you're doing the impossible."

Peace,
Pat Gohn