Church Family,
This Sunday marks the end of an era in the life of our church. This Sunday will be the last week of how our music has functioned for several years. Jim Huhta will be leading the first service and Bill DeReuiter will be leading the second. They, along with Rachel and Josh Winchester, Daniel Devine, Justin Lundy, and Kevin Heiser, have served us faithfully. I’m so thankful for them and I know you are, too.
It’s been so beautiful to see such godly people serving the Lord to the best of their abilities and knowing that most of them have been doing it for free for years. You don’t see this kind of thing in the world!
Shifting gears, I think the recent series called “About Music” clarified some things for us as a church. It showed us that God deserves praise from everything that has breath. It showed us that part of the reason for our singing is for us to teach and admonish one another. And it showed us the importance of our singing being Scripture-saturated.
Our Two Services
One of the topics of discussion with the transition team was what I would do about it feeling like we have two different churches. The early service sang songs from the hymn book with a more “traditional” instrumentation and the second service sang modern songs with a more “modern” instrumentation. There was also some discussion about whether we should just have one service. I’ve been praying about this since before we even came.
While I understand the reasoning for branding one service as “traditional” and another as “contemporary,” I see some red flags in it. The biggest one is that labeling a gathering in that kind of way encourages those looking for a church to interact with our church as a consumer and not a contributor. Another is that it subtly makes a distinction between the people of God where God places no distinction. We are all one in Christ and are not to identify ourselves as “traditional” or “contemporary.” It also subtly implies that a worship service is about us and our preferences when in reality the primary purpose for gathering as a church is to worship God, not us.
So, needless to say, I knew I wanted to address that before we even came, but I wasn’t sure how.
Two Thanksgivings
Thankfully, whether or not we should have one service has been answered, in my opinion, by a lack of space. I think we could probably cram all of us into one service, but it would leave little, if any, room for others to join us. We have to consider those that God is calling to be part of our church also. For that reason, we will continue with two services until further notice.
Also thankfully, the Lord has already brought us someone that I think can help unify both those who gather at 8:30 and those who gather at 11. That person is Kevin Heiser. Let me tell you why. Kevin has a heart for the Lord. That’s been evident in my conversations with him since I’ve known him. He is well-trained and has multiple levels of experience in playing music, even touring with a band at one point. He understands the more technical side of classically trained musicians and can lead a modern band. He appreciates the older saints as well as the younger saints. Lastly, he is well-respected by all the musicians and audio/tech engineering volunteers. I’m excited to see what the Lord does through Kevin’s leadership!
Moving Forward
December 10 will be the first Sunday of him being our part-time Music Ministry Director. Both the 8:30 and the 11am services will be identical. We will have Scripture-filled songs (old and new) sung, played, and led by as many players and vocalists as the Lord has given us (not all at once, mind you).
What will come of those wonderful leaders who’ve been serving all this time? By God’s grace, they’ll all still be involved, but under Kevin’s leadership. Jim Huhta will be leading a choir that will sing periodically in each service. He’ll also be part of the music team in other capacities. The other leaders (Bill, Rachel, Josh, Justin, Daniel) will also be part of the music moving forward by playing and singing. Bill DeReuiter will even be overseeing the A/V aspect of the music ministry as he is such a faithful, hard-working, quick learner and good leader.
The only sense of caution I have is to encourage all of us not to see Kevin’s role as identical to what any previous Worship Pastor has had. Kevin will be the Music Ministry Director, not the Worship Pastor. Those roles are different, at least in my mind. Also, note that his role is part-time. He is a full-time school teacher and has a wife, baby girl with another on the way! He will have no office hours. You should not expect him to answer his phone or respond to messages immediately. (I’m asking him to work no more than 15 hours/week.)
There may come a time when the role of Music Ministry Director requires more than a part-time role. We will cross that bridge when we come to it.
For now, I’m thrilled with how the Lord worked this out and overjoyed at how receptive and humble all the musicians, and especially other worship leaders, have been throughout. Truly, I’m grateful.
Church family, I believe the Lord is going to do some amazing things in and through us! I’m humbled to be along for the journey with you!
Thank you, Pastor Adam and the deacons, for your wise counsel on this over the last six months! Thank you, musicians and worship leaders for being servants, and thank you everyone, for receiving Kevin well and seeking to use your musical gifts to the glory of King Jesus!
Pastor Jacob
Pastor Jacob’s Blog 