Music Ministry Statement 2005

Attached are samples of questions and answers that were prepared during the process of certification in Music Ministries for the United Methodist Church.

Janna Kisner 2005

State your commitment to the Nature and Mission of the Church As a follower of Jesus, I continue to learn more about grace: grace shown to me in Jesus Christ and grace shown to me by others. My faith and spirituality are nurtured by practicing (often feebly) the spiritual disciplines within the context of my faith community. I was baptized as an infant in the Reformed Church in America, made profession of faith as a youth in the Presbyterian Church, and now take seriously my vows to the church to participate in its ministries “by my prayers, my presence, my gifts and my service.” As Luther stated, “Music is a fair and glorious gift of God.” I have been called by God as a steward of this glorious gift that can “comfort the sad, terrify the happy, encourage the despairing, humble the proud, calm the passionate and appease those full of hate”. As a church musician, my call is to faithfully intersect the beauty and power of music with theology and to point the way to God’s love in the incarnation of Jesus. Other than the extraordinary opportunity I have to be a witness in my employment at the church, I am also a witness to my two daughters as my husband and I encourage and nurture their spiritual development and disciple making. In response to God’s grace, I am grateful to respond in mission. For me it is healthy to be involved in mission outside of my church employment. My local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity has been an outlet for putting my faith into action by serving the community in need as a board member and by chairing various committees for nearly fifteen years. Another formative experience has been leading Waynesburg College students on international mission trips with my husband. On our most recent trip in 2004 to Vienna, Austria we worked at a refugee center that housed Chechyn families. In what ways do you fulfill your call and commitment to the church’s ministry as a certified person in the area of Music Ministry? Although I attended seminary twice with my husband, I do not have any graduate degrees to show for it since I was busy working to support the family. I decided that pursuing this certification program made better sense for me than pursing a graduate degree. As a certified individual, I hope my ministry will continue to be even more effective as I continue to learn more about the importance and function of music in the church. The Roman Catholic Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy brings clarity to the function of music in worship with this statement that transcends denominational lines: The function of music is ministerial; it must serve and never dominate. Music should assist the assembled believers to express and share the gift of faith that is within them and to nourish and strengthen their interior commitment of faith. It should heighten the texts so that they speak more fully and more effectively. The quality of joy and enthusiasm which music adds to community worship cannot be gained in any other way. It imparts a sense of unity to the congregation and sets the appropriate tone for a particular celebration.

As a pastoral musician, my main focus is to give voice to the song of the believers and to employ music not to merely entertain but to draw them to the center of what worship intends: worship that is for God only. The center of this music is not the choirs, the organ or the soloists. It is the songs of the people. Worship music is not about out personal or generational likes and dislikes and ought not to be a replication of the society’s divisions. Carol Doran and Thomas Troeger compare the challenge of blending diverse musical styles to the challenge facing the diverse tribes of Israel in the Old Testament. The challenge for the Israelites was to bring the tribes together for worship! Vital worship in a pluralistic church can be viewed as a kind of training for peacemaking in the world! Instead of splitting into ‘tribes’ with separate services that feature our own personal music preferences, we gather the ‘tribes’ together and sing from the ‘full spectrum’ of the community’s prayers, learn each other’s songs and have a ‘richer musical diet’ together. As I fulfill my call and commitment to the church’s ministry as a certified person in the area of Music Ministry, I do so as a servant, community organizer, teacher, and peacemaker to the glory of God. How are decisions made as to the selection/use of appropriate/particular music resources in the local church you serve? My starting point for music selection is the lectionary readings. From there, I consult the UMC Music and Worship Planner for title ideas. Ideally, the music selections would help to proclaim and to interpret the word of God. I try to select music from a diversity of styles and traditions. Music from a ‘full spectrum’ of choices provides the community with a richer ‘musical diet’. Rather than relying on the problematic terminology of “traditional or contemporary”, I prefer Tom Long’s terms “faithful and vital”. As Paul Westermeyer says, “Craft the finest music to clothe the Word in all styles for all people with love.” In my large church situation with more instruments, more choirs, more services, more resources and more possibilities, care must be take to guard the congregational song and insure that the people’s participation remains primary. Although our pastor selects the congregational hymns and integrates a lot of congregational singing into the service, he welcomes my input or consultation about hymn selections. For my music planning, I try to implement Marva Dawn’s guidelines for music selection: “Is the text theologically sound? Is it inclusive for the whole community? Does it promote community? Is it true to God’s nature? Is it conducive to the formation of character? Is it carefully expressed? Is it honest? Is it representative of the diversity of the congregation members? Does it serve a function in the service? Is the music a servant to worship? Does it serve the liturgical calendar? Is it appropriate to the musical ability of the group? Is the music a sacrificial offering to God or is it a distortion from the entertainment, market driven market? Is it excellent?” How do you see the development of your field in Music Ministry in the next 10-15 years?

I am very interested in the work of Bob Webber and his book, Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World. Webber asserts that worship that is ‘a-theological’, ‘ahistorical’, individualistic, word-based will be replaced with worship that is rich in history, mystery, beauty, symbols, interconnections and primacy of community. This ‘ancient-future’ worship will display a shift in the ‘ratio of the senses’ with a new focus on images, sound and visualization. Evangelical post-modernism will center on proclaiming and enacting the saving deeds of God in history and proclaim the power of the Christus Victor to enter history and recover God’s creation from the powers of evil and bring salvation to the entire universe. The implication for my work is that instead of focusing only on music, I also need to encourage all the arts in worship. Maybe singing the ‘old’ hymns will no longer mean the 1880’s, but will mean MUCH older. Music and the arts have the power to create mystery, beauty and awe. This shifting paradigm is reflected in the title and the content of our professional journal, The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts. The GBOD also has an email group exploring Emergent Worship that can be high tech, multi-sensual and relevant as well as ancient with creeds, rituals and weekly Eucharist. Another fascinating book is Beyond the Worship Wars, Building Vital and Faithful Worship by Tom Long. It’s time to move beyond the battleground of contemporary versus traditional worship styles and instead put our energies into being both faithful and vital. Long asserts that all humans long for mystery, for a sense of belonging and a desire to be aware of the presence of the living God. Vital and faithful churches are rich in the arts and view worship as a “celebration and dramatization of God’s story.” (Tex Sample) These healthy churches have congregational music that is both excellent and eclectic in style and genre. The music will have function and quality. For the sake of the unity of the body, the music represents the diversity of the human family and they sing each other’s songs. Worship planners will value corporate memory, rituals and joyful celebrations. Vital and faithful churches will have a strong connection to mission that will permeate all that they do.