It is always my great fear that someone will make a judgment of the music ministry here at TBC on the basis of one or two songs. The breadth of the music ministry is too much to absorb in one song or even several songs. But after folks have been hanging out here several months, they begin to notice a pattern. And it is obvious that there are deliberate music choices that are made for specific reasons. By our emphasis on accountability and corporate music, we are trying to make FAITHFUL servants for the Savior. Even when making musical choices we have that in mind!

Many pop styles of music (and thus some less conservative styles of Christian music) are based on talent. If you have a great voice, if you have a large "stage personality", if you "look the part", you succeed in delivering the message. The music we choose here deliberately avoids the physical and can be successfully performed by anyone who has a desire to please the Lord and is willing to prepare. This makes for less glitzy performances perhaps, but is in keeping with our goal of making FAITHFUL servants.

You’ll also notice an emphasis on corporate music as opposed to individual performance. Congregational singing is the basis of our music ministry. And the choir is the basis of our special music ministry. Many churches feature several talented soloists regularly. But think about it: What can a person do as a soloist that he cannot do in a group? We do have soloists, for sure. But the foundation of our music ministry is groups praising the Lord together.

And through these groups we are able to focus on FAITHFULNESS as a desired goal. It is more important to me as a choir director that the choir members arrive on time and focus their attention on the work at hand during rehearsals than how we sound. Our "sacrifice of praise" to God as musicians is not our performance. The performance is a byproduct of the sacrifices of preparation, time, energy, skill development, submission to direction, etc, that we have already made!

If TBC were merely a garden club of weekly talent shows (a la Lawrence Welk), our style of music and performance would be entirely different. But the truth is that TBC exists to make servants for the Savior-- not lazy, vain or self-absorbed American idols. We work together to encourage one another to FAITHFUL service for our Lord.

David Stertzbach II, B.A.
Music Pastor