The music exchange

Are you a pastor who is frustrated with musicians?

Are you a church musician who’s had another ding-dong with your pastor? Are you a congregation member who can’t sing and is wondering what all the fuss is about?

I’m writing this article while helping with the music on a preachers’ conference. There are 80 men here all committed to the faithful preaching of God’s Word to believers and unbelievers in very diverse situations.

I always use conversations that I have on these conferences to give me some ideas for the Music Exchange column, because these pastors are coming across the most up-to-date music issues within their congregations. I also need their input because I’ve been writing these articles for 7 years so sometimes my brain dries up.

Same old issues

What probably won’t surprise anyone is that the issues and struggles remain the same every year — those of sinfulness and pride among pastors, musicians and congregations alike. There is nothing new under the sun! It’s discouraging that what God has given us for our good to produce joy and thanksgiving in our hearts we use to produce division and hurt in our brothers and sisters.

Now I know that we will always struggle with sin till the dawn of the new creation, and so it’s tempting to be pessimistic about the ability of the human heart to change, but we’ve also been learning on this conference of the power of the Word of God in a preacher’s hands, turning us back to trust in a God who is great, glorious, good and gracious. I’m grateful to William Taylor and Tim Chester for reminding us of these things this week.

Remembering this has also helped me as I’ve spoken to some of the pastors here. I need to be reminded that, as long as it is called ‘today’, I mustn’t harden my heart against the Word of God, so that I find my joy and refuge in him, and so that I don’t fear man. I’ve also been spurred on again to pray for those who teach us the Word every week. Praying for our Bible teachers is probably one of the most important things we can do as church musicians, because it’s our pastor-teachers who give us the tools, through the Word, to deal with the knocks that come with the job — even the knocks that come from the pastors themselves. They, along with us, are not perfect, but once the Word has been preached, our job is to obey the Word ourselves, not seek to take the speck of dust out of the pastor’s eye.

Pastor is music director

At the same time, I always remind the pastors that the ball is in their court to make sure that they are faithfully preaching the Word week by week so that they, their musicians and their congregations know how to build each other up and not tear each other apart. In this sense, the church pastor is always the church’s music director. God has entrusted him to be in over-all charge of the Word ministry in his church, whether that Word is spoken or sung, because he is the one who God has given to us to enable believers to build the church to maturity in Christ (Ephesians 4.11-16). We musicians belong to that same body of believers, and so we are simply there (like everyone else) to serve with gifts that God has given us for the common good. Therefore, we do what we’re told cheerfully and thankfully, remembering the goodness and graciousness of God. That’s God’s command (Colossians 3.23), and therefore shouldn’t be a heavy burden for us.

Prayer and singing lessons

The conclusion? If you’re the pastor who’s frustrated with musicians, teach the Word of God faithfully and ask your musicians to pray for you to do just that. If you’re the musician who’s had a ding-dong with your pastor, pray for him, listen to the Word of God as he explains the Bible, do what it says and trust that God is good. If you’re the congregation member who can’t sing and wonders what all the fuss is about, get some singing lessons.

Musical ding-dongs

Same old issues

Pastor is music director

Prayer and singing lessons

Richard Simpkin

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