Worship Reflection

Below is an outline of some thoughts I shared with a group at church

O God, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven: Be ever present with your servants who seek through art and music to perfect the praises offered by our people on earth; and grant to them even now glimpses of your beauty, and make them worthy at length to behold it unveiled for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.[1]

Last week you were presented with this question: what is a pastoral musician?  This is the exact topic I want to briefly discuss tonight. 

1.     A pastoral musician is someone whose primary ministry is to “enable the community’s sung prayer”[2] by “bringing theology and spirituality to the tasks of music.”[3]

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I’m doing some research right now on the role of pastoral musician in the local church.  While some of you may be unfamiliar with the verbiage in the name, you can probably surmise its meaning.

Nevertheless, I am conducting some evaluations with my own choir at church to see their perception of pastoral musician, and I am curious – what do you think is the significance of this vocation?  What is implied in the specific moniker?  What, in your mind, does a pastoral musician do?  Or better yet, who is a pastoral musician to be?  (And, what is the significance between doing and being?)

I would love to hear your thoughts and ramblings on the matter.