Strengthening Music Ministry in the Evangelical Church
by
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STRENGTHENING MUSIC MINISTRY IN THE
EVANGELICAL CHURCH
Calvin M. Johansson
Prologue
The fast-paced rate of societal change bidding the evangelical church to move with the times continues unabated. Church music, faced with the march of a culture largely out of step with the basic tenets of the Christian faith, needs frequent review and shoring up. Whatever style and format worship might take in the future, its music will need to be examined and discipled in the light of Scripture. This present work is offered as an aid in those endeavors.
Part One consists of four chapters: (1) Visiting (2) Evangelicals (3) Strengthening Music Ministry and (4) Furthering Music Ministry’s Reach. This section, concerned with practics, chronicles my church visitations, defines the term evangelical, and makes specific suggestions for strengthening the music ministry of the evangelical church.
Part Two hosts four chapters: (5) Culture and Religious Popular Music (6) Music (7) Scriptural Insights and (8) Scriptural Discernment. This division examines Christian contemporary music in some depth. It delves into the aesthetics of music and digs deep into the Scriptures for guidance in carrying out music ministry.
Part Two supplies the rationale for implementing Part One. Theological and philosophical, Part Two makes a compelling case for building up the music ministry of the evangelical church along the lines of Part One. Ultimately it is God’s Word that empowers church music to reach its full potential in any given place.
My writing of this book postulates accepting the present reality of evangelical music making with grace and respect. I offer to each musician and church leader these old/new thoughts with the hope and prayer that they will be valuable in helping to fulfill each leader’s pastoral/musical calling. Expanding the kingdom, maturing the saints and glorifying God are objectives worthy of our best efforts.
To that end these pages are dedicated.
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About the Book
Strengthening Music Ministry
in the Evangelical Church
Drawing upon a wealth of experience and years of fieldwork, author Calvin Johansson sets forth detailed suggestions and practical ideas for growing the ministry of music in the local church. He offers readers a unique perspective on music’s role, disassociated from text, in Christian formation and worship.
Written in two parts, the first (Practics) is concerned with the hands-on operation of a church music program. The second (Rationale) presents biblical fundamentals helpful in making musical choices.
About the Author
Consistent with his conservative holiness upbringing in Belmont Street Full Gospel Church, Worcester, Mass., Calvin M. Johansson attended Houghton College, a Wesleyan Methodist school, to pursue a degree in music. After graduating, he was appointed music director of the Post Chapel, United States Military Academy, West Point. Following his tenure he began graduate studies and subsequently earned a doctorate from the School of Church Music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
A devout, steadfast evangelical, Dr. Johansson has taught at the college and university level, served as music director for many churches, and been an astute observer and scholar in the field of church music. A compelling conference speaker and lecturer, Johansson authored the classic work on theology and church music, Music and Ministry: A Biblical Counterpoint, as well as a volume on music’s role in Christian discipleship, Discipling Music Ministry: Twenty-first Century Directions.