Setting the Tempo
It is easy for a pastor to be intimidated by the jargon and artistic flair of musicians. Nevertheless, every pastor must be aware that the key to music's effectiveness in the church is still in his hand. Music can have, indeed must have, a place in the larger ministry of the church. In a culture bombarded with musical sounds around the clock, it is crucial that pastors develop a clear perspective.
But this creates a dilemma for the overbusy minister. As Samuel A. Devan writes, the pastor "…is expected to combine the financial acumen of John D. Rockefeller, the spiritual fervor of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the scholarship of Spenger, the organizing ability of a German bureaucrat, the aggressiveness of Napoleon, the smoothness of a politician, the tenderness of a parent, the magnetism of Lloyd George, the manners of Chesterfield, with the literary force of St. Paul, and the evangelistic impetus of John Wesley. It is hardly to be wondered at if occasionally some individual falls a little short of expectations in some of these particulars."1
And he didn't even mention music! What's a pastor to do? How can we find time and energy to add yet another area of expertise to our load? I've found the following three principles most helpful.
Take a Personal Inventory
The starting point is a personal evaluation of one's own perspective on music ministry.
Several years ago a young man came up to me and said, "When are we going to sing some 'Spirit-filled' songs on Sunday evening?"
When I asked him what he meant (I thought I already knew), he responded, "Well, I was thinking of some of the new praise choruses. They're the ones the Lord's using today."
Indeed! Give me a praise chorus anytime. Sing them over again to me. But don't forget to throw ...
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