August 11, 1999

Musician offers tips for introducing choruses
___By Chip Alford
___LifeWay Christian Resources
___GLORIETA, N.M. (BP)--Mention the word "chorus" in some churches, and you're likely to get an earful of something other than music.
___But it doesn't have to be that way, a worship consultant from the Arkansas Baptist State Convention said.
___Glen Ennes believes ministers of music can teach their congregations to love choruses. It's all in the approach.
___"One mistake we often make is that we expect too much too soon from our people," Ennes said. "You can't cram this down your congregation's throat. It takes time."
___Ennes led several seminars related to music ministry in the smaller church during the 1999 Church Music Leadership Conference July 10-15 at LifeWay Conference Center at Glorieta, N.M.
___Ennes gave several suggestions for teaching a church to love choruses, including:
___ Be wise in your selection. Make sure the text is theologically true, that it flows and fits the occasion. Make sure the melody is in a medium range so everyone can sing it, and keep the length short enough so it can be memorized easily.
___ In introducing the chorus, sing it by yourself on the first Sunday. The next Sunday let the choir sing the chorus after teaching it to them in choir rehearsal. On the third Sunday, have the text to the chorus in the bulletin. Sing it as a solo, add the choir on the second time through and then invite the congregation to sing on the third time.
___ Don't ask the congregation to sing anything by memory that you have not memorized yourself. Often it's good to have the words available anyway for the benefit of visitors.
___ Don't feed the congregation a steady diet of new choruses. Keep a list of choruses and their sources that are familiar to your congregation.

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