Pastors’ Panel
We asked religious leaders for their reflections on ministry in light of this issue’s lead article. Here is what they told us.
What role does music play in the life of your congregation? Monica Hall (MDiv’08), Pastor, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Ogden, Utah Music hems in our collective congregational imagination each Sunday within the presence of God. We couple the memory of our faith ancestors and their trials and liberation with our own dogged hope in the midst of desperation. In song, our hope is tethered to theirs. Music unifies congregations to sing about thanksgiving, but it also makes room for us to sing about difficult things as well. When we sing “Why Do Nations Rage Together,” we are confronted by a text which presents our collective rage. Then we ask who God is in the midst of it. Our congregation is aware of this truth. This particular hymn is not our favorite, but, the truth we sing together shapes us in our vision of repairing the world while at present, the nations rage. Rev. Karen Thompson (MDiv’07), Pastor, Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) of Austin, Texas Like those present on the first Pentecost, we are the faithful from everywhere, gathered together in one place. Our congregation of 300 is 90% LGBTQ, and the majority of us have come together at MCC Austin after being cast out by other churches. Thus roughly a third of us are formerly Southern Baptist, a third Catholic, and a third mainline Protestant. Music is probably our greatest unifier after communion. We have no common creed, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status that draws us together. Through our music, which encompasses everything from traditional hymns to praise and worship to Beyoncé to Broadway, we draw closer to Christ and thereby to one another. In making eclectic music choices, we offer everyone something familiar from their former traditions—something they can bring with them after they’re forced to leave so much behind. Josh Robinson, Pastor, Hope Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas Our sanctuary is unique in that, during a time when the trend was to design worship spaces around sound systems, ours is a “live” space, best for unplugged offerings, that enhances unamplified music. We strive to ensure our musical offerings are accessible for all worship participants by using a broad variety of blended music. To that end, for Sunday morning worship, we rarely select hymns or choral pieces in 25