Last year I had the opportunity to deliver a series of lectures and conversations about the diversity of expressions of worship in the Christian Church. I wanted to create a space where we could reflect on our own experiences of liturgy and worship as well as explore a few different approaches and practices that would challenge us to learn from each other. I had a great and engaged group of learners for the journey with the Ottawa School of Theology and Spirituality – and now I’m preparing to offer this teaching through the Atlantic School of Theology‘s continuing education series in May-June 2022. I am pretty excited.
Category: Music
I’m not sure why I’m making a goofy face in this photo, but my buddy Andrew took it at a Vineyard pastor’s retreat a few years back. I believe I was just getting into percussion at that point. Sharon had bought me a djembe for Christmas and it is such a different dynamic than guitar or even keys. One of my favourite ways to play percussion is in concert with a full drum kit.
I was playing percussion today at church, playing with a kit drummer, and the sermon was on the value of team leadership. That got me thinking about some of the dynamics of playing on a team.
When you have a full kit in the mix, unless you are trying to bolster something the kit is already doing I find it better to simply get out of the way. It is not always possible with my hand drums which is why I bring various shakers and my harmonicas with me. For our first song there was a nice groove that I could play off the kit fairly easily, add the odd accent here and there but mostly to give is some texture with the highs from my djembe. I usually have my cajon as well, but I use the cajon to keep something of the beat steady and to enhance the boom of the kick on the kit (it needs a bit of push and the mic on my cajon usually gives an excellent boom). When we went into the second song ,Jason on the kit had a nice tight beat that I felt I’d just muddy up if I played along. So I grabbed my harp and echoed some of the lyrical lines, sustaining a root when I felt a nice drone might be appropriate. I ended up harping on about half the songs this morning and adding some shaker on another. The object is to not stand out, but to also to be adding something to the overall mix. It is a great dynamic, really challenging, but when the music comes together this way then it is magical.
Riffing on Richard’s message on leadership, I love the healthy sense that our Vineyard has about not having everything focus on a personality. He is right that so many churches rely on a cult of personality because this is the norm for church growth philosophies. I get that some people like to attend a church where they can be spectators more than participants, but I’m not like that. I want to add a note or a beat here and there that makes the music fuller.
When I was pastoring Freedom Vineyard, as I was when this picture was taken, I often did what we called the Frank show. I didn’t terribly like the Frank show, but in the latter years of our church that was the norm. The Frank show was when I was running all the aspects of the service, from worship to teaching. What we discovered, the hard way, was that once this pattern was the norm unless I was part of events they generally were unsustainable. So while I am fairly confident in just about any role within the church, I am really hesitant about another Frank show.
When Freedom was at its best we had a great sense of team. We failed however to recognize team play as something to make into a non-negotiable. Much as people seemed to want the Frank show it was not the healthiest approach to ministry. So I applaud the new Ottawa Vineyard for making that a central value. I believe it will serve them well. I am hoping that they continue to make space for me to add accents and notes that make a the music of our church fuller.