As president of the church music conference, part of my responsibility is to choose a theme for the conference.  After much deliberation, I decided to address what I felt was the overarching problem that I now face, and have faced during my 40 years of ministry through both the local church and church-related educational institutions.  I have tried to analyze how we got to where we are and, more importantly, how we can get to where we need to be.  Tomorrow morning I will flesh these out somewhat in a morning session.

                

I thought of many analogies, but I decided to use for this conference the theme “Rebuilding the Wall:  Reclaiming Music as Ministry.”  As you know, Nehemiah in the Old Testament grieved over the fact that the wall that once had fortified Jerusalem had not only been breeched, but much of it had been torn down.  He felt a call from God to lead his people to rebuild that wall

 

As we begin, two things need to be clarified.  First, in using the analogy of the wall I am not suggesting to build a wall that divides, but a wall that fortifies the church.  All believers are inside the wall, and the wall must serve them all equally.  Secondly, I am not claiming to be a prophet, but I have had years of opportunity to observe the church.  And I grew up during a period in which there was a lot of structure being initiated and implemented by the Southern Baptist Convention.  I was raised in a Baptist church that had trained musicians who were committed to raising up others, and I was encouraged to develop and use my talents to God’s glory.  I have seen that kind of structure, encouragement, and effectiveness erode over the past three decades to a point that much of the wall built by our forefathers in ministry is suffering from neglect and from stylistic battles, and is cracking, decaying, and falling.  Music as a total-church, womb-to-tomb ministry is disappearing in many of our churches, including many very large churches.  And this is not restricted just to our denomination.

 

Scripture tells us that the church exists for three primary purposes.  First, we were made to worship the one true and living God.  If you like alliteration, you may call this “exaltation.”  This church function is the only one that will endure throughout eternity.  The second is to edify the saints.  I like that word “edify”, for it implies not only teaching, but a teaching that enriches one to become a deeper worshipper and a better follower.  The third purpose is another “e” – “evangelism” both at home and abroad.  If these are the three missions of the church, then these are the three missions of the music ministry.

                 

Thus our emphasis during this conference will be three-pronged.  We will talk about and experience worship that uses more contemporary materials while going deep theologically.  We will see and hear how important it is to educate and edify all ages.  But we are going to especially look at the youth.  And finally, we are going to discuss how music can be used as a tool in evangelism and missions.  We will experience the power of original church drama, both with and without music, as a tool of worship and of edification.  We will hear how instrumental music, though it does not carry text, can be used in a way that presents a message and stirs the heart.  We will be uplifted through keyboard music and by a concluding concert presented by The Sacred Winds who will model what a powerful and meaningful tool instrumental music can be in the church.

 

We are going to sing hymns with organ and piano.  We are going to sing hymns with guitars and percussion.  We are going to proclaim eternal truths that cannot be changed by musical style.

                 

If you are seeking to be entertained, you may be disappointed.  If you want to hear one style of music, you will be disappointed.  If you desire to gain a vision of ways we can shape the future of church music, then I pray that you will leave here with something meaningful.

                 

Hopefully, we are going to set a few stones—building blocks, if you will—with which you can start to rebuild the wall of musical fortification that we call music ministry.  May God open our hearts and minds to what He would have us experience and learn at this conference.