The Role Of The Choir In Worship

The choir does not participate in worship for its own sake, but rather for the sake of the whole of the worshiping people. It leads the worshiping people in their song and contributes additional music as the liturgy or pattern of worship requires. Ideally then, a choir should be a group of facilitators, not performers, a role defined in this article. The choir has more to do with a pastor's ministry than is often acknowledged. Historically speaking, the choir has always been the minister's right hand. Yet few pastors currently reap the fruit of such a partnership. Billy Graham on occasion has termed the music department the war department of the church. It is a designation not without justification. Almost everyone in the pastoral ministry has at one time or another been at odds with music or musicians. It is said that the pastor's job is to preach, the choir's to sing special music-each in its own place in a mutually beneficent but separate endeavor. We smile at such a naive per…