Servanthood of Song: Music, Ministry, and the Church in the United States

Servanthood of Song is a history of American church music from the colonial era to the present. Its focus is on the institutional and societal pressures that have shaped church song and have led us directly to where we are today. The gulf which separates advocates of traditional and contemporary worship--Black and White, Protestant and Catholic--is not new. History repeatedly shows us that ministry, to be effective, must meet the needs of the entire worshiping community, not just one segment, age group, or class. Servanthood of Song provides a historical context for trends in contemporary worship in the United States and suggests that the current polemical divisions between advocates of contemporary and traditional, classically oriented church music are both unnecessary and counterproductive. It also draws from history to show that, to be the powerful component of worship it can be, music--whatever the genre--must be viewed as a ministry with training appropriate to that. Servanthood of Song provides a critical resource for anyone considering a career in either musical or pastoral ministries in the American church as well as all who care passionately about vital and authentic worship for the church of today.

Author: Stanley R. McDaniel
Publisher: Cascade Books
Published: 05/23/2024
Pages: 836
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 2.65lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.85d
ISBN13: 9781666755930
ISBN10: 1666755931
BISAC Categories:
- Music | History & Criticism | General
- Religion | Christian Church | History
- Music | Religious | General

About the Author
Stanley R. McDaniel's music ministry career included service to churches in Ohio, North Carolina, Alabama, California, and Washington State. A former director of Chorale Coeur d'Alene, he also founded the Westminster Chamber Orchestra in Spokane. As an adjunct professor of sacred music at East Carolina University, McDaniel taught courses in sacred music, liturgy, and choral literature. He graduated with honors from the University of Southern California with a doctor of musical arts in sacred music.