Priests, prophets and musicians
Oct. 3rd, 2008 10:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kayreDon't worry, this won't be nearly as religious as that sounds... some, though.
I've been pondering different roles in church music lately, thanks to changes in my own life, and today a friend bumped into the same divide I've noticed.
Dear old John Wesley said (please don't ask me where, and I'm paraphrasing) that the church needs both priests and prophets-- priests to marry, bury and lead the community from day to day, and prophets to call down the fire of God, to speak the hard truths and then scurry out of town before the tar was hot. (Of course then his Methodist circuit riders were the prophets, while the Church of England priests were, well, the priestly types.)
Seems to me that church musicians fall into similar roles, though there may be a lot more overlap. There are the ones who lead worship Sunday after Sunday, preparing 3 hymns, prelude, offertory and postlude, and maybe accompanying a choir anthem. They may catch the congregation's attention occasionally, but an awful lot of what they do is support worship from underneath rather than from center stage.
Then there are the musical prophets-- sometimes visitors, sometimes members of the congregation. Wonderfully talented, often, and of course they can focus on one or two (or more) pieces until they're ready, without worrying about the three pieces they'll need next week, and those pesky hymns, and choir practice. They're the ones center stage, honored with respectful silence and sometimes applause, in churches where that's okay. Often they are bringing people's hearts and minds closer to God in amazing ways.
It seems like life circumstances are moving me from priest to prophet, musically, and I'm realizing how important both roles can be to the church. I'm also realizing that both roles need to be honored, by each other and by the churches they serve. I'm also grateful that they aren't really exclusive roles; we each can cross the boundaries occasionally.
I've been pondering different roles in church music lately, thanks to changes in my own life, and today a friend bumped into the same divide I've noticed.
Dear old John Wesley said (please don't ask me where, and I'm paraphrasing) that the church needs both priests and prophets-- priests to marry, bury and lead the community from day to day, and prophets to call down the fire of God, to speak the hard truths and then scurry out of town before the tar was hot. (Of course then his Methodist circuit riders were the prophets, while the Church of England priests were, well, the priestly types.)
Seems to me that church musicians fall into similar roles, though there may be a lot more overlap. There are the ones who lead worship Sunday after Sunday, preparing 3 hymns, prelude, offertory and postlude, and maybe accompanying a choir anthem. They may catch the congregation's attention occasionally, but an awful lot of what they do is support worship from underneath rather than from center stage.
Then there are the musical prophets-- sometimes visitors, sometimes members of the congregation. Wonderfully talented, often, and of course they can focus on one or two (or more) pieces until they're ready, without worrying about the three pieces they'll need next week, and those pesky hymns, and choir practice. They're the ones center stage, honored with respectful silence and sometimes applause, in churches where that's okay. Often they are bringing people's hearts and minds closer to God in amazing ways.
It seems like life circumstances are moving me from priest to prophet, musically, and I'm realizing how important both roles can be to the church. I'm also realizing that both roles need to be honored, by each other and by the churches they serve. I'm also grateful that they aren't really exclusive roles; we each can cross the boundaries occasionally.
