Music Ministry
Oh sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
— Psalms 96:1-4 (ESV)
Music is a gift from God, and like all such gifts is designed to be used to bring Him glory. At Providence Baptist Church, we believe that the use of music in corporate worship is biblically mandated. Furthermore, we find it to be spiritually beneficial, both for the appropriate and effective declaration of biblical truth and exultation of God, as well as for the mutual edification of His Church, the body of Christ.
Our approach to music combines elements of both traditional worship services with those of more modern ones. We employ traditional Western instrumentation (of piano and organ) as well as that of a modern band (guitars, drums, etc.). We sing hymns, praise choruses, and modern worship songs, and do so using both a vocal choir and a worship band. We’ve found that, generally speaking*, the music of the older and younger generations are equally useful for the purposes of worshiping our amazing God together!
Getting Involved
The Worship Team is always looking for additional persons who have a heart for worship via the musical arts and the talent, willingness, and commitment to serve God and the local church in this fashion. In addition to musicians, this ministry relies on the efforts of technicians capable of operating sound, lighting, and visual display systems.
Philosophy and Guidelines
We’ve taken the time to craft some fairly detailed documents describing our general philosophies and practical guidelines around these related ministries. If you are considering serving in these areas, we suspect that the answers to most of your “What” and “Why” questions may be found by reading them.
Where Do I Fit In?
The following describes how we might route musicians who fall into particular broad categories of talent and interest:
Singers. All adults with singing talent are invited to participate in our adult choir. Practices are held Wednesdays at 7:30pm. No auditions are required – simply come out to a practice and the Choir Director will help you find your role. (NOTE: Our adult choir takes a break during the Summer, so no practices or participation in services occurs during those months.) In addition to the adult choir, we use a few vocalists during congregational music portions of our service guided by the Worship Leader and band. Because of the visibility of this position, these vocalists are selected only from the pool of volunteers who have already demonstrated commitment to – and aptitude in – other musical ministries of the church (such as the adult choir or youth worship team). If you wish to serve in this capacity, consider committing to one of these other ministry areas and serving faithfully there until you are asked about assuming a worship vocalist position.
Modern Pop/Rock Instrumentalists. Generally speaking, the music style employed by the Worship Team at Providence is that of the typical Christian pop/rock band. If you can play an instrument commonly found in this genre (acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboard, violin, folk stringed instruments, etc.), you will be invited to participate in a probationary period during which you will attend practice sessions but will not play or sing with the team on Sundays. At the end of this period, it will be at the discretion of the Worship Leader as to when you will begin playing in Sunday services. (Exceptions may be made if you are already actively serving in a similar capacity elsewhere in the church, such as in the Youth Worship Band.) Practices are held Wednesdays at 5:30pm, and final rehearsals ahead of the Worship Service are held Sunday mornings at 8:30am.
Other Instrumentalists. If you play an instrument not commonly employed in the worship services at Providence, you’re still encouraged to serve God with those talents, but yours will require a more individualized approach. If you think your instrument can “fit in” with the worship band, you will be asked to demonstrate this by making an audio recording of yourself playing your instrument along with the original recordings of some popular worship songs we use at Providence. If your instrument is simply a poor fit for the worship band, that’s okay – there are other music-supported moments throughout our services which offer opportunities for service. Initiate a dialogue with the Worship Leader about your interests.
Children. We wish to actively train musicians to use their talents in service to God – age is irrelevant. So if your child has expressed an interest in serving in this fashion, that’s wonderful! If your child is a middle- or high-schooler, consider contacting the Student Minister or Youth Worship Leader about participating in the Youth Worship Band. Younger children who are developing a musical talent should contact the Worship Leader or Children’s Ministry leadership to discuss ways in which their talents might be used in a regular worship service. Additionally, we have for years offered the Young Musicians JAM Series during the summer, which is a great chance for young musicians with established talent to begin playing music with others in a fun and low-stress environment.
* While the songs we select for use in our services are reviewed for their theological integrity, efficacy, and relatability in our specific local church context, our use of those songs does not imply endorsement of everything associated with the songwriters, publishing organizations, or related churches.