FAQs about Church Music
The questions below link to the main body of the Music in the Smaller Church seminar. If you have any additional questions, please email us or visit our blog and we'll do our best to post a response!
» General questions
» Leading a music ministry
» Training
» Singing in church
» Songs for church
» Tech issues
» Arranging songs
General questions
» What sort of music does God like?
» How is singing different to the other things we do at church?
» What is the role of the music (as opposed to the lyrics) of a song?
» What are the most important things about serving on the music team?
» How do you make the most of what God has given your church musically?
Leading a music ministry
» What are the fundamental things to keep in mind when running a music ministry at church?
» What is the role of the Music Director at church?
» How do you instill vision in a music team?
» What are some ideas for praying more as a music team?
» How can we most effectively use our rehearsal time?
Training
» What kind of training should we provide for our church musicians?
» How good does someone have to be before you let them play in church? »
Singing in church
» What is the role of a song leader?
» How do you lead singing without any instruments?
» How can we get our congregation to sing up?
» Is is wrong to be too expressive when we sing at church?
Songs for church
» What are the important things to keep in mind when choosing songs for church?
» Where can we find new songs for church?
» How should we best teach new songs?
» What are the copyright issues associated with using audio recordings at church?
Tech issues
» What's the best way to prevent errors in the overheads?
» Are there simple or cheap sound system options available?
» What kind of audio recordings (CDs, etc.) are available for use with singing at church?
» What are the copyright issues associated with using audio recordings at church?
Arranging songs
» What is a musical arrangement?
» What is the role of each instrument in a group?
» What are the different parts of a song that need to be considered when playing at church?
» How do you deal with songs that have difficult (or very syncopated) melodies?
» How do you play upbeat songs if you haven't got many instruments?
» How do you play old hymns on guitar, or in a contemporary band arrangment?