Church musicians have been supplementing their income with other jobs for many years. I observed my musical mentors and those observations shaped my calling — including the first and most important lesson I learned about navigating bivocational ministry.
I was called to music ministry after serving in multiple roles at First Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. My home church used the organist/choirmaster model, so I saw mentors Franklin Pethel and Patrick Murphy working masterfully as full-time church music professionals. I also learned from Sam Doyle, my high school music theory teacher. In addition to teaching high school, Sam served a local Episcopal church. This model seemed to fit my skill-set better, so I chose to major in music education and look for part-time church work.
I had observed Sam successfully model these two related vocations. But there was an important lesson I would soon learn by living it firsthand: the importance of building relationships. I began to learn this lesson shortly after graduating from college – albeit in an uncomfortable, awkward way – on my first week of both new jobs. My first education job was as a junior high school chorus teacher. I was also called to direct a chime choir in a little Methodist church near the school. I consider myself a shy person. Tackling rural, junior high school students was going to be a challenge.
In the homeroom class I taught, there was a young man who regularly and loudly used profanity. In a show of assertion, I hauled him up to the principal’s office and, taking a page from this bold young man’s book, I loudly shared the expletives he had been spouting in my classroom with my principal. In a few hours, this young man’s mother had been called and I found myself in a conference with her, her son and the principal. The mother assured me that they “never use those words at home,” and we came to an understanding that her son would not use them again in homeroom. It was a stressful Wednesday of the first week of school, but at least I was excited and looking forward to the first chime choir rehearsal that night at the Methodist church.
When I walked into the rehearsal room, who was standing at the chime tables ready to learn from the new kid in town? The cusser and his mother! After a good laugh between us and an appreciation of the awkward coincidence, that evening started a great relationship with that family and that very dedicated choir. Relationships are important, regardless of employment status. But I began to learn through this experience just how important strong ties between both areas of employment can be to create success in both. These strong relationships can make it easier, when appropriate, to share resources between school and church as well as cross-promote programming like school fundraisers and church music camp.
Nathan Crabtree serves as music director at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Hickory, North Carolina, as well as music teacher at Snow Creek Elementary School.
