Today's Music and the Church episode features a conversation with Noel A. Snyder about his new book Sermons That Sing: Music and the Practice of Preaching. More about Sermons That Sing: Preaching and music are both regular elements of Christian worship across the theological spectrum. But they often don't interact or inform each other in meaningful ways. In this Dynamics of Christian Worship volume, theologian, pastor, and musician Noel A. Snyder considers how the church's preaching might be helpfully informed by musical theory. Just as a good musical composition employs technical elements like synchrony, repetition, and meter, the same should be said for good preaching that seeks to engage hearts and minds with the good news of Jesus Christ. By drawing upon music that lifts the soul, preachers might craft sermons that sing. Noel A. Snyder (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is program manager at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship at Calvin University and an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Music and the Church with Sarah Bereza is back after a summer hiatus while I finished writing and editing my book Professional Christian: Being Fully Yourself in the Spotlight of Public Ministry (coming your way Spring 2022) - glad to be back into podcasting mode!  Today's episode is an interview with my friends Nathan Myrick and Mark Porter. They have a new collection of essays out - Ethics and Christian Musicking - and we discuss why both researchers and practitioners of Christian music should consider ethical questions as they research and/or make music in Christian communities.  Sign up for my free newsletter here!

Dr. Mark Chaves, director of the National Congregations Study, shares recent highlights from the survey and how they compare with the last 20 years of data. The National Congregations Study is a wide-ranging survey of congregations in the U.S. It's taken place four times (starting in 1998), and results of the fourth wave are just being released. Explore the National Congregations Study here. And if you'd like to read about church music highlights from the study, you can check out this series (my very first blog posts!).

Imagine you have a beautiful garden in your backyard with amazing sunlight and soil, and plenty of room for practically whatever flowers and vegetables your heart desires. But then you move to a small apartment, and your only outdoor space is a teeny balcony with just enough room for some pots and planters. That's like our current reality as musicians: in the pandemic, we are constrained by limited in-person music making, closed church buildings, virtual choirs and so on. But amidst this disruption and constraint we're living with, we can still make music - we can still make a beautiful garden on that little balcony. It just looks different from the backyard we used to work in and will hopefully return to soon. Join me in this podcast and video to discover your own inspiration for growth and develop a plan to nourish your musical soul. This month's Music and the Church with Sarah Bereza episode is from a workshop I taught for my local American Guild of Organist's chapter. Here's the video if you'd like to watch it, and if you'd like to listen to the podcast, tune in above, or find Music and the Church with Sarah Bereza in your favorite podcast player. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yyUZ6wPRkg Enjoying this podcast episode? Click here to find other Music and the Church episodes, or subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts.

Let's take stock of where we are in the marathon of the pandemic and of the program year. Enjoying this podcast episode? Click here to find other Music and the Church with Sarah Bereza episodes, or subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts.

I am so delighted to be talking with author Andy Thomas about his new book Resounding Body: Building Christlike Church Communities through Music. So often we think that a great church music program must be heavy on financial resources, but he "encourages music leaders to step up and persevere in low-resource contexts, and challenges all those who lead music in worship to refocus on building communities, not just on producing musical results." It's a lovely conversation, and I hope you listen in. About Andy Thomas: Andy Thomas is an organist, pianist and choir director with over 25 years' experience of reinvigorating music in churches from different Christian traditions in the UK and overseas Purchase Resounding Body: You can purchase a copy of Resounding Body: Building Christlike Church Communities through Music through your local bookstore, or online in places like Bookshop and Amazon. Enjoying this podcast episode? Click here to find other Music and the Church with Sarah Bereza episodes, or subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this episode, Dr. Adan Fernandez shares his positive approach to virtual rehearsals and performances. Dr. Adan Fernandez is the Director of Music at Holy Family Catholic Community in Glendale, CA, and is the Campus Organist at California Lutheran University. Resources Mentioned on This Episode: Spitfire Plugin Enjoying this podcast episode? Click here to find other Music and the Church episodes, or subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts.

Listen in for an in-depth interview with Andrew Eastes, Jonathan Ottaway, Glenn Stallsmith, and Deborah Wong, four of the authors of Flow: The Ancient Way to Do Contemporary Worship. This is the second of two episodes on Flow - click here to find last month's episode with Lester Ruth, Zachary Barnes, and Adam Perez. More about Flow: The Ancient Way to Do Contemporary Worship Here’s a fuller description of Flow: The Ancient Way to Do Contemporary Worship by Lester Ruth: Is there a way to do the prescribed or suggested orders of worship from denominational worship resources—such as the United Methodist Book of Worship, Evangelical Lutheran Book of Worship, the Book of Common Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), or the Book of Common Prayer—in a way that feels legitimately and authentically contemporary? This practical, how-to book will help churches plan and implement passionate and invigorating worship. Step by step, author Lester Ruth and contributors Zachary Barnes, Andrew Eastes, Jonathan Ottaway, Adam Perez, Glenn Stallsmith and Deborah Wong break down the process of re-thinking what the official or recommended order of worship is truly suggesting, so pastors and worship leaders can plan and lead a service of Word and Table that feels genuinely relevant and attuned to the congregation’s culture. With this goal, Flow casts a new, but classic, understanding of traditional worship as well as spurs a reconsideration of how contemporary worship can be done by honoring the traditions of denominational congregations. Enjoying this podcast episode? Click here to find other Music and the Church episodes, or subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts.

Listen in for an in-depth interview with Lester Ruth, Zachary Barnes, and Adam Perez, three of the authors of Flow: The Ancient Way to Do Contemporary Worship. This is part one of two parts; next month's episode continues with Flow's four other authors: Andrew Eastes, Jonathan Ottaway, Glenn Stallsmith, and Deborah Wong. Resources We Mentioned in the Episode: Paul Baloche on YoutubeLester Ruth and Swee Hong Lim on Episode 3 of Music and the Church with Sarah Bereza More about Flow: The Ancient Way to Do Contemporary Worship Here's a fuller description of Flow: The Ancient Way to Do Contemporary Worship by Lester Ruth Is there a way to do the prescribed or suggested orders of worship from denominational worship resources—such as the United Methodist Book of Worship, Evangelical Lutheran Book of Worship, the Book of Common Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), or the Book of Common Prayer—in a way that feels legitimately and authentically contemporary? This practical, how-to book will help churches plan and implement passionate and invigorating worship. Step by step, author Lester Ruth and contributors Zachary Barnes, Andrew Eastes, Jonathan Ottaway, Adam Perez, Glenn Stallsmith and Deborah Wong break down the process of re-thinking what the official or recommended order of worship is truly suggesting, so pastors and worship leaders can plan and lead a service of Word and Table that feels genuinely relevant and attuned to the congregation’s culture. With this goal, Flow casts a new, but classic, understanding of traditional worship as well as spurs a reconsideration of how contemporary worship can be done by honoring the traditions of denominational congregations. Enjoying this podcast episode? Click here to find other Music and the Church episodes, or subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts.

Listen in for an in-depth interview with Dr. Alisha Lola Jones about her new book Flaming?: The Peculiar Theopolitics of Fire and Desire in Black Male Gospel Performance. Resources: Dr. Alisha Lola JonesAlisha on Twitter, Facebook, and InstagramFlaming?: The Peculiar Theopolitics of Fire and Desire in Black Male Gospel Performance by Alisha Lola Jones (hardcover and paperback, Kindle, Nook) More about Flaming? Here's a longer description of Flaming?: The Peculiar Theopolitics of Fire and Desire in Black Male Gospel Performance by Alisha Lola Jones: Male-centered theology, a dearth of men in the pews, and an overrepresentation of queer males in music ministry: these elements coexist within the spaces of historically black Protestant churches, creating an atmosphere where simultaneous heteropatriarchy and "real" masculinity anxieties, archetypes of the "alpha-male preacher", the "effeminate choir director" and homo-antagonism, are all in play. The "flamboyant" male vocalists formed in the black Pentecostal music ministry tradition, through their vocal styles, gestures, and attire in church services, display a spectrum of gender performances - from "hyper-masculine" to feminine masculine - to their fellow worshippers, subtly protesting and critiquing the otherwise heteronormative theology in which the service is entrenched. And while the performativity of these men is characterized by cynics as "flaming," a similar musicalized "fire" - that of the Holy Spirit - moves through the bodies of Pentecostal worshippers, endowing them religio-culturally, physically, and spiritually like "fire shut up in their bones". Using the lenses of ethnomusicology, musicology, anthropology, men's studies, queer studies, and theology, Flaming?: The Peculiar Theo-Politics of Fire and Desire in Black Male Gospel Performance observes how male vocalists traverse their tightly-knit social networks and negotiate their identities through and beyond the worship experience. Author Alisha Jones ultimately addresses the ways in which gospel music and performance can afford African American men not only greater visibility, but also an affirmation of their fitness to minister through speech and song. Enjoying this podcast episode? Click here to find other Music and the Church episodes, or subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts.

On today's episode, Jessica French shares her compositions, how her compositional process is influenced by synesthesia, as well as her work as a soprano and music educator. Find out more about Jessica French and explore her choral compositions here. Enjoying this podcast episode? Click here to find other Music and the Church episodes, or subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Resources Mentioned on This Episode: The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art - Barb Rosenstock (Author) Mary Grandpre (Illustrator)Internal monologue