Presentation 6
Application

Now, let’s talk about how to apply this in our ministries in unique
cultural situations

Open
with
Ngiemboon Lefeme Scripture Performance.mp4

What is good church music? (review)

• Sing to the
  Lord

• Singing is
  not a spectator sport! For all of God’s people

• Sing both
  old and new songs Ps 96:1; 98:1; 149:1

• In heaven,
  Song of Moses and Song of the Lamb – Rev 15:3

• Sing with
  understanding

Part of “singing with understanding” means that…..When
choosing music or lyrics to put to music….

Consider effect of lyrics on language tonal patterns

Ways to encourage heart music in worship

1. Take an
interest in the music of the people whom you serve (though you don’t
know what is acceptable or not as a Christian)

• Attend
  musical events in the community

• listen

• ask
  questions

2. Make
friends with musicians in your community who are believers and with
musicians who are unbelievers. Learn about their lives and their
music-making.

3. Lead Bible
studies on the topic of music

4. Find out
what the people consider to be their deepest need, then find
Scripture that speaks to that need. Ask traditional musicians in your
community to compose a song to that text.

5. Hold a
song-writing contest in your church or community, but specify that
the songs must be in local (traditional) style and have lyrics based
on the Bible.

6. Strongly
encourage people to make songs to the Lord in their heart language
(their vernacular language) and heart music (local or traditional
style).

7. Pray for
God’s blessing on this effort as you do it for His glory!

8. Involve your pastor and elders right from the start. Also be sure
that they carefully check the song lyrics for accuracy.

Encourage and don’t give up:

At
our workshop’s (Mono, Schrag) closing ceremony, a church leader
insisted on speaking. With tears in his eyes he said, “I am the
third generation of Christian leaders here in Congo. My grandfather
heard the gospel from a missionary and believed. My father became a
pastor, and then I followed his footsteps. But this is the first time
that I have heard someone say that God created our traditional music
systems. It seems to me that it’s too late–young people never
learned it. I never learned it. But you have given us hope. Maybe we
can resurrect our own music to glorify God.”

Bringing Mofu Flutes into the Church (18 min), found on CD from
Ethnodoxology Handbook >Video

Ngiemboon Lefeme Scripture Performance.mp4 (5 min), found on CD from
Ethnodoxology Handbook >Video

Sparking Creativity – from Burkina Faso, (5 min), found on CD from
Ethnodoxology Handbook >Video

Love Choir (7 min), https://vimeo.com/158622518

Transition to composition

1. Choose song
   style

2. Study how
   lyrics fit that style (short or long phrases?; repeated single
   words?; responsorial?; melismatic?, etc.)

3. Choose
   lyrics

1. According to
   need, choose scripture passage

2. Adjust
   according to song type (ex., choose 1 phrase, if it’s to be
   repeated; choose words to stress)

3. Consider
   tone and stress patterns of lyrics

4. Perhaps
   local-style songs (already in existence) will need to be recorded
   then analyzed

4. New
   compositions may not be the best, but this time is meant to spark
   the idea and show possibilities.

5. Songs need
   to be checked