The Changing Face of "Music in Worship" in America
by Ron Mallory, R&S Chair, Music in Worship

The designation "Music in Worship" seems straightforward enough on the surface, but a little digging reveals it to be a complicated topic, especially in today's world. 

Serving as the WA-ACDA Music in Worship R&S chairperson during the past few years has prompted me to reflect on the changing face of both worship and music in America.  I'd like to share some thoughts on issues relating specifically to those ACDA members serving as church musicians and to raise a few challenging questions, without necessarily offering a lot of answers.

The first question that comes to mind when we say "music in worship" is that of who or what we are worshiping.  Our nation was founded largely upon Christian values, and to this day 84% of American adults claim some affiliation with Christianity.1 

It is true that the Judeo-Christian faith has an incredibly strong tradition of choral music stretching back thousands of years (see 1 Chronicles 15:27 and Nehemiah 12:31-43 in the Old Testament for examples) and that many great masterworks have come from this tradition.  Indeed, in my experience the vast majority of pieces presented at ACDA sacred music reading sessions have texts based upon Christian theology, even though the ACDA itself does not claim to be an overtly Christian organization. 

As our nation becomes increasingly diverse there have been efforts to acknowledge other faith traditions represented in the populace.  I can't claim the expertise to speak much about the relative presence or absence of choral traditions in other religions, but I can't help but wonder: is it time for us to stop assuming that for all ACDA members "sacred music" means Christian music and that "worship" means Christian worship?2

Another issue we face is that of mission.  The ACDA website proclaims our mission statement to be "promoting excellence in choral music through performance, composition, publication, research, and teaching."  Those of us whose lives have been enriched by singing, directing, and composing choral music would no doubt agree that these are laudable goals.  And in a school, community, or professional choir setting they are likely attainable.  But are they always compatible with a role as church musician?3 

Choral directors working in churches may face challenges if the mission statement of their faith, denomination, or congregation conflicts with the ACDA mission statement.  As a Christian, my first purpose is to proclaim the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, and as a Christian musician my purpose is to use whatever musical and artistic means will best accomplish this.  If choral music proves to be an effective tool for doing so—and, fortunately, it continues to do so in many settings—then I'll use choral music, though I must select repertoire based not just on its artistic merit but on whether it furthers the mission of my church.  And if some musical style other than choral music is deemed more effective, then the mission of the church must override any personal agendas on the part of its leaders, and choral music must be discarded in order to proclaim the Gospel using whatever means are best.

In decades past it could often be rightly assumed that "church music" meant organs and choirs.  But more and more churches today are tailoring their musical styles to reflect the characteristics (though, hopefully, not the values) of the surrounding culture.  If the local community loves choral music, and if choral music is an appropriate and natural way for the people in that community to express their worship of God and for non-believers to hear and receive the Gospel message, then it's appropriate for that community to use choral music in worship.  If it's bluegrass music, then the community will use bluegrass; if jazz, then jazz; and so forth. 

I see this as a truly healthy and positive trend in our efforts toward communicating the Gospel message to whatever culture we find ourselves ministering within, just as the best way for a missionary in China to communicate the Gospel is to speak it in Chinese and the best way for Christians in Mexico to worship God is to use the Spanish language.  But there's a potential conflict of interest here for church musicians who are also passionate about choral music and the ACDA's mission.  What if at some point we as choir directors are asked to sacrifice our passion for choral music to further the mission of the church?  Whether we like it or not, in today's world "music in worship" doesn't always necessarily mean, nor should it always mean, "choral music in worship."

What direction does all this point us in the ACDA?  Should this committee of the ACDA be renamed "Choral Music in Christian Worship" to avoid confusion?  Are there ways to incorporate choral music into various non-traditional worship styles?  And are there ways we can accommodate the needs of many different faiths and theologies into our conference sessions?  The latter presents perhaps the greatest difficulty.  At, say, an elementary or college choir reading session, I would guess that almost every piece presented has some potential for being useful to almost every teacher in attendance.  But as a church musician, when attending a sacred music reading session, I can only select those pieces that fit my church's theology.  Given that, how can we meet the needs of conductors from multiple faiths without significantly diluting the usefulness of our reading sessions and workshops?

There are many challenges which are unique to the Music in Worship section of the ACDA.  I don't necessarily have the answers, but I look forward to further discussions on these topics with my church choir colleagues at ACDA conventions.  And please e-mail me if you have any thoughts on how the Washington ACDA can better serve your needs as a church musician.

Ron Mallory
Washington State ACDA Music in Worship R&S Chair
Music Director, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church
music@svlcfamily.org

1 Source: http://www.barna.org, based upon a 2003 survey.

2 While I acknowledge that some choral directors who take church postings do not necessarily adopt the faith or theology which that church professes, from here on I assume that the church musicians I speak of agree with the faith statements of their particular religion, denomination, or church.  I should also point out that, as a Christian myself, much of what I write here is in fact from a specifically Christian point of view.

3 The ACDA has even released a statement regarding the use of sacred music in public schools, available at http://www.acda.org/statements&policies.  Section II.B, paragraph 2 reads, "In no way should music be selected for study and performance in the public schools for the purpose of advancing or perpetuating a particular religious belief system.  Rather, music should be selected first, on its own merits as an art form and second, as a cultural object for study which enhances the understanding of the cultural development of a particular movement in human civilization."  While this guideline is certainly relevant to those in a school setting, clearly it does not reflect the reality of those directing choirs in a church, where we cannot select music based simply on artistry but rather on whether it does perpetuate our particular belief system.