CFAMC seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and help build His kingdom by encouraging the work and witness of Christian composers of symphonic and chamber music, opera, and other concert works. We pray that believers will embrace our musical integrity because of our Christian witness, and that our commitment to musical excellence will allow us to bring our Christian witness to the wider art music world. Located throughout the United States and abroad, CFAMC members are professional and academic composers (faculty and students), avocational composers, church musicians interested in art music, and other individuals who support the CFAMC mission and want to be involved in our activities. Among these, CFAMC is pleased include a number of Honorary Members, including composer James MacMillan and musician/theologian Jeremy Begbie.

CFAMC is governed by a Board of Directors, from within which is elected a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Though it is not elected directly by CFAMC members, the Board is advised and assisted by an Advisory Committee that is elected by the broader CFAMC membership.

CFAMC seeks to fulfill its mission through facilitating Christian fellowship among its members. "Fellowship" in this context centers on the meaning of the Greek New Testament word koinonia, and suggests communication, sharing, intercessory prayer, mutual support and the encouragement of spiritual growth, all in a Christian context. While CFAMC also undertakes certain other activities that support our mission, these are governed by the primary purpose of koinonia between Christian composers and the overflow of that Gospel fellowship to other art music composers.

Fellowship groups – Being a Christian who also composes is both a challenge and a calling to be salt and light in our world. Building strong, intentional relationships among members is essential to CFAMC’s purpose of promoting mutual encouragement and growth. To that end, we maintain a network of organized fellowship groups. These groups are in no way intended to preclude other sorts of fellowship between CFAMC members. Rather, they serve as a structured way to encourage members to engage in meaningful communication and support activities with at least a few other members. Fellowship groups provide opportunity for:

• Welcoming and helping to orient new CFAMC members;
• Correspondence;
• Praying for group members;
• Keeping informed about and providing feedback on the compositional activities of group members, and sharing these (as appropriate) to the CFAMC email list, newsletter and website;
• Encouraging and assisting group members in submitting listening pages for the web site;
• Generally enquiring about and encouraging compositional activity within the group;
• Encouraging (and, when feasible and appropriate, facilitating) the participation of group members in professional compositional activities – these might include conferences, festivals, workshops, etc., and might also include advice or assistance in developing performance opportunities;
• Promoting discussion about and moving toward increased maturity concerning the relationship of Christian life and faith with the compositional lives of the group members.

CFAMC publishes a written guide to assist effective group leadership. The guide includes suggestions on topics for Biblical/theological and professional inquiry and discussion, with special emphasis on bringing compositional and spiritual life into ever closer alignment.

CFAMC strongly believes that the maximum benefits of membership accrue to those who remain active in our fellowship groups.

Professional conference/festival activities - CFAMC encourages its members to engage professionally in organizations, conferences, festivals and other events that are relevant to their work and witness as Christian art music composers. These include the activities of such groups as the College Music Society, Society of Composers, Inc., American Composers Forum and regional organizations such as the Iowa Composers Forum, but also events that address Christianity, culture and the arts. CFAMC advertises such activities to its members, attempts to ascertain which members might be planning to attend various conferences/festivals each year, and, when appropriate, attempts to facilitate CFAMC activities within the schedules of the events identified. These activities may range from informal CFAMC receptions or meals to special paper presentations and/or concerts. In addition to promoting professional fellowship between CFAMC members, such activities may offer opportunities for members to introduce other colleagues to CFAMC.

Periodic CFAMC-sponsored events - CFAMC has since 1995 mounted nine national and four regional conferences, some in collaboration with other organizations. These periodic events typically include opportunities to share music formally or informally among members or with the public, papers and presentations, worship, prayer and discussion, local culture, and unscheduled time for informal fellowship. When a number of CFAMC members live within reasonable proximity to one another, smaller local and regional events may sometimes be organized as well. In keeping with its mission, CFAMC strives to construct events that emphasize encouragement, humility and service rather than competition and accolade.

the CONCERTed offering - This periodic email newsletter contains information on new members, peer reviews of compositions, announcements and reports about CFAMC governance and events, recommended reading and listening, devotionals and testimonies, and other items of interest to members. On occasion, the CONCERTed offering is alternatively published in printed form.

The CFAMC website - This is the most comprehensive place for CFAMC news and information. The site also contains past issues of the newsletter, a list of members with contact information and fellowship group assignments, links to other relevant sites, CFAMC bylaws, and a listening page (updated monthly) featuring thoughts and music by a selected CFAMC member.

The CFAMC email discussion list - Here members can communicate news and ideas of interest to the entire Fellowship. The list is free and open to the public, serving as part of CFAMC's witness across the Internet (though registration is required and content is monitored).

While we strongly encourage members to be active professionally in the field of composition, CFAMC is different from many professional composer societies, in that its primary focus is not on providing monetary grants, recording projects, concert performances, music publishing services, and other career support activities. Instead, we attempt to foster the integration of compositional and spiritual growth through meaningful Christian fellowship among our members. The benefits accruing to members from such an approach may be summarized as follows:

• Opportunity to share the joys and challenges of being a Christian art music composer with like-minded individuals through various forms of communication as well as live events;
• The opportunity to support and be identified with a visible, established Christian ministry at work in the field of art music composition;
• Confidence stemming from evidence that God is at work in our field;
• Ancillary benefits resulting from professional and personal networking among CFAMC members;

And, for those participating in our network of fellowship groups:

• Professional and spiritual attention from other CFAMC members;
• The opportunity to serve other members by providing professional and spiritual attention to their work and witness.

CFAMC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry, and relies on the financial generosity of its members.

Anyone can maintain membership in the CFAMC by making an annual tax-deductible, charitable donation of at least $35 ($20 for students). This annual donation is the only membership requirement. Contributions can be made online electronically via PayPal. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can still use PayPal to make your donation using an “e-check” (electronic funds transfer).

Membership donations are due by January 1st of each calendar year. Members who join or renew after May 31st are entitled to reduce their donation for the following year by 50%, if they so desire.

While the annual contribution is the only formal requirement for CFAMC membership, it is essential that members support and pray for the CFAMC mission, and endeavor to represent the Fellowship well in their activities.

Finally, CFAMC is always in need of volunteers to assist with organizational and administrative activities. We hope and pray that members will offer their service as God leads.

Although members of the Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers are not required to affirm any particular statement of Christian doctrine, the CFAMC official statement of doctrine consists of the historic Apostles Creed, which appears below. As required by the Bylaws, members of the Board of Directors and all elected or appointed officers of CFAMC do subscribe to this Creed personally and as a guide to official deliberations.

The Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy catholic church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.”

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