PHILOSOPHY OF MUSIC

Marietta Alliance Church

(Portions adapted with permission from Clayton Erb)

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The music of the body of Christ should always focus on and glorify God alone, draw us toward Christ, and inspire and encourage us in a faith walk by motivating us to such things as prayer, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, pursuing holiness and sharpening us spiritually.

I. THE LEADERSHIP OF MARIETTA ALLIANCE CHURCH HAS ESTABLISHED THIS PHILOSOPHY AND SUBSEQUENT PRACTICES IN MUSIC MINISTRY BASED ON THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES:

A. The Purpose of Music Ministry

• To Worship God through Music – “Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.” (Psalm 95:2)
• To Praise God through Music – “Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him.” (Psalm 147:1)
• To Lift the Emotions of the Heart –Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…” (Ephesians 5:18,19)
• To Teach Scripture and Spiritual Truths - “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” (Psalm 32:7,8)

B. Music Rightly Used In Worship Will Express...

• PRAISE - "Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens…Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD." (Psalm 150)
• THANKSGIVING - "It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp." (Psalm 92:1-3)
• ADORATION OF GOD - "I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live." (Psalm 104:33)
• SORROW FOR SIN - "Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards; no one sings or shouts in the vineyards; no one treads out wine at the presses, for I have put an end to the shouting." (Isaiah 16:10)
• COMMUNION AND FELLOWSHIP - "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." (Mark 14:26)
• CHRISTIAN JOY - "Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music." (Psalm 98:4)
• NEW LIFE IN CHRIST -"Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him…Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. " (Psalm 33:1,3)

C. Essential Qualities of Music and Music Ministry

• Sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s direction.
• Sound in Christian doctrine.
• Enhances, but never overshadows, the ministry of the Word which is central in the church.
• Consistent in high quality, always tasteful, so that the Lord is glorified and the heart is blessed.
• Offers a broad range of opportunity for those whom the Lord has gifted with musical ability, using instrumentalists as well as vocalists.

II. MARIETTA ALLIANCE CHURCH IS A BIBLE-BASED, DOCTRINALLY CONSERVATIVE FELLOWSHIP WITH MORE TRADITIONAL FORMS OF WORSHIP. THIS IS REFLECTED AND PUT INTO PRACTICE IN MUSIC MINISTRY AS FOLLOWS:

• The MESSENGER, MEDIUM, and MESSAGE combine to give a clear unambiguous expression of biblical truth.
• Appearance, reputation, testimony, and musical ability of the MESSENGER exalt and glorify Christ, and edify the body. Music does not exalt the performer.
• Music is the MEDIUM for the message, not the message itself. It should be a worthy matching companion to that message, always consistent and congruous.
• The MESSAGE of music expresses hope, redemption and exhaltation of Christ, rather than focusing on the depravity of man or human pilgrimage.
• All aspects of music are consistent with this hope in Christ as opposed to expressing darkness, despair, or self-absorption.
• Our worship is reverent and dignified, favoring traditional over contemporary practices.
• We employ a mixture of CLASSIC HYMNS that express theological truths along with CONTEMPORARY CHORUSES to provide a proper balance for worship and praise. Sunday morning worship favors the use of traditional hymns. The Sunday evening worship, which employs more contemporary choruses, still maintains a tone of seriousness and reverence.
• We favor more traditional forms of worship such as a full choir over more contemporary practices.
• Various forms (instrumental, choral, handbells, etc.) are employed within worship services giving all an opportunity to minister.
• All music ministries (Family night, Youth, Children, etc.) are consistent with this philosophy.

III. AS A MATTER OF INFORMATION, THE FOLLOWING MUSIC MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES EXIST AT MARIETTA ALLIANCE CHURCH:

• Adult choir
• Youth choir
• Adult Hand-bell Choir
• Children’s Hand-bell Choir
• Orchestra

Philosophy of Music
Adopted by Leadership of Marietta Alliance Church, 1999