Every term, about 20 of us get together to keep each other sharp on an area of theology to do with church music.
We’re mostly full-time church musicians, though there are a few pastors who come along too, who help keep our feet on the ground. Last term we were very privileged to have David Cook from Sydney, who came to speak to us. I wish I could say that he came all the way to London just for us, but he didn’t — we just managed to grab him in between two other speaking engagements that day.
I’d also love to be able to say that David loves music, but his big passion is musical theatre, so I don’t know if that counts. That was a joke. Not a side-splitter, but I’ve just finished camp, it’s the end of term, and my sense of humour’s running on vapour, so that’s as good as it’s going to get.
As ever, with someone as wise and experienced as David, there are always some nuggets that make you sit up and think. Here are the three that I picked up.
Three nuggets
First was an encouragement. David was struck by the unity that we all had as church musicians. Being musicians, we all have different tastes and ideas as to how music should be done in our churches. Some of us are from small set-ups, and others from larger congregations. Yet I’m always encouraged that we stand together on the fundamental principles of wanting music to serve the Word of God and not the other way round. We’re also united in our commitment to submit to the authority of our pastors in regard to musical style. I’m pleased that David picked up on the unity we have in Christ.
Secondly, I’d asked David to help us with the question that evangelical church musicians are always grappling with — how do we encourage people to respond emotionally to the Word of God in song while avoiding the danger of manipulating false emotions? Aussies always talk straight — even the gentle ones like David. He said: ‘I don’t think you Brits (might have said Pommies — can’t remember) could manipulate emotions even if you tried. Go on, have a go — I dare you!’ Fair point.
Unfortunately, one of the methods he suggested to encourage an emotional response was the old musical theatre trick of going up a key in the last verse. A few of us suggested that we would definitely have an emotional response to going up a key, but it might not be the response intended.
Responding to criticism
The one that hit me hardest was one of those points that is so simple and obvious, but I bet I’m not the only one not to have implemented it. We were discussing the age-old problem of how to respond to criticism from members of the congregation. David told us to make sure that people know that we love them. How simple is that? Of course that’s the answer — that’s the instruction that is repeated time after time in the New Testament. His point, though, was for us to make sure that people know we love them before the criticism comes. This way, for example, people who hate drums don’t assume that it’s a personal attack on them if drums are introduced. They’re also much more ready to give considered and gentle criticism, which will, in turn, be given a much more considered and gentle response by the musician.
The other benefit is that people feel they can talk to us personally rather than turning to other people who have the same views as them, creating factions.
Far too often we musicians are defensive about criticism, fighting our corner. If we have to be defensive, we’ve been too slow off the mark in loving our critics. Whether we’re right or wrong, we’ve already lost the battle if we haven’t loved those whom we’re serving under Jesus.
So thank you, David Cook. As church musicians and, more importantly, as Christian church musicians, let’s keep loving each other and the congregations we serve as Christ first loved us, and let’s show the world (and the Aussies) that we Pommies have as much heart as we have soul.
Richard Simpkin is Director of Music at St. Helen’s Church, Bishopsgate, London.
