Leading a Fellowship Group

Even though CFAMC is made up of members with diverse experiences and perspectives, we all share in the desire to model Biblical values both in the exercise of our craft and in our dealings with one another. This guide includes basic ideas about how we might orient our lives as Christians who compose, and also how we might benefit from our interactions. At the heart of such matters is theology. We must be able to think Christianly about how and why we compose, and we must be able to encourage one another along that journey. Each of you is a group leader and also benefits from the ministry of two other group leaders. As such, we all stand to gain from effective group leadership in two directions, giving and receiving. This guide attempts to provide both conceptual and practical ideas from within a Christian worldview aimed at maximizing the effectiveness of group leadership. Over time we at CFAMC hope to expand and refine this resource as we all gain experience in our fellowship groups.

Section I. Biblical/theological bases

A brief theology of musical composition

Much has been written about the human expression of creativity. Though there are many fascinating aspects that can and should be explored with regard to this topic, it is in the final analysis easiest to say that our creativity dimly reflects the essential fact that God is creative. It is the very first thing we learn about God in Scripture (Gen. 1:1). As Renaissance thinkers might put it, our creativity reflects the Imago Dei (“Image of God”). We of course are not God, and our creativity is severely limited while God’s is not. But again, without getting into too much detail, when we compose we are exercising an aspect of the Imago Dei that God put into us. And we must also remember that other people reflect that Image in other ways that are just as important to the Body of Christ.

Though God is a complete and wondrous Trinity, the best picture we have of what a human being should be, and by extension of how and what a human being should do, is found in the Incarnate Jesus Christ. Thus we ought to be interested in being Christ-like in the ways we do our compositional lives just as much as in any other area of life. And yet each of us is unique in the ways in which we express our musical creativity. In what ways, then, can we be Christ-like in all the activities that relate directly to our lives as composers, while still being individuals?

It is useful to think of two main aspects of Jesus’ character in this regard: competence and love. Jesus is the most competent, the smartest and the most creative human being who ever lived. “In [Him] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3 NIV)”. We are not always accustomed to thinking about Jesus as “competent”, but any examination of the Gospels makes such a notion clear. What is really astounding about Jesus is that, unlike nearly all other human beings, He only and always uses His competence in a loving manner. His love is limitless and it is backed up with limitless ability to make it manifest (though sometimes God does deliberately limit Himself, a topic we cannot get into here).

As composers we can model Christ in these two respects, albeit in a limited fashion. We can commit ourselves to bringing as much competence to our compositional acts as possible while also committing to conceive of our compositions as acts or offerings of love. This love can be directed to God and toward other human beings. The antithesis of this stance would be to view our compositions as acts of self-directed power, as weapons designed to impose our will on others. A composer can be Christ-like in seeking compositional excellence in order to edify, seeking to love the Lord our God with all our hearts and souls and mind and strength while loving our neighbors as ourselves (Luke 10:27).

A brief theology of Christian fellowship and the arts

First and foremost, we should celebrate this opportunity to fellowship with other Christian composers in meaningful ways. There are so many things we can communicate about that might be utterly mystifying to others who do not share both areas of passion. Over the years, a common theme among those who discover the CFAMC sounds something like this: “I have many Christian friends, but few who understand what I do as an art music composer. And I have many composer friends, but most think I am crazy for being a Christian. I negotiate these two worlds well enough, but I was delightfully surprised to find that there was a group in which both my faith and my music could be understood as an integrated whole.” We fervently hope and pray that each of you can experience the fullness and joy of such specialized fellowship. It is a gift given to us by our infinitely loving Creator.

At the same time, fellowship is hard work. It requires vulnerability, real loving patience and self-sacrifice. This is due in no small part to the differences among us, despite our shared faith and commitment to art music. As Christians who compose we can understand that diversity under the Lordship of Jesus Christ reflects the model of His Body (the Church) given to us in Romans 12 and 1 Cor. 12. This may be applicable to the musical world of the Kingdom in that while each composer is given a unique “voice”, any or all of the voices are useful for the edification of the Body. This does not negate the fact noted earlier that we are to seek excellence in what we do. But it also does not automatically exclude any particular musical style. We of the CFAMC profess to be art music composers, which means we seek to apply artistic excellence in creating our music. We also affirm that music created for the sole purpose of commercial gain, self-aggrandizement or other self-directed purposes rather than as a reflection of spiritual authenticity is not “art music” in any Christian sense. It is difficult to find a way of saying such things without causing misunderstanding, offense or hurt. Within the range of what is commonly understood to be “art music” in our current historical position, we could speak about the diversity of tonality versus non-tonality. There are many elements in some “pop music” that are quite complex and artistic and other elements in some self-proclaimed “art music” that are not at all artistic. In the CFAMC we will never all agree about style – but we must find a way to view each of our contributions to the Kingdom as Christ-directed “art music” to the extent noted earlier that it seeks to model Christ Himself in being competent for loving purposes. The Biblical model of the diversity of the Body of Christ in Romans 12 and 1 Cor. 12 makes such a view possible. The nose and the ear are very different, but the functioning of the body requires each of them to be fully (and competently) themselves in their differences. Rather than trying to dictate a stylistically narrow vision of music in the Kingdom, we may instead pray that God will nurture and develop all the musical gifts and visions He has given to His people in ways that please Him and benefit his purposes. And, in humility, we may seek to be mutually submissive as we attempt to learn from and be edified by one another, in the way suggested by Eph. 5:18b-21 – “Be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (NIV).”

Our common bond is Jesus Christ, and no artistic issues (or anything else, for that matter) must be allowed to interfere with the natural fellowship that bond produces. At the same time, we may find that part of our sanctification rests in the challenges of fellowship with believers whose tastes and visions differ from our own. This perspective may be brought to bear in responding those in the Church who reject our music for one reason or another. Such brothers and sisters simply may not understand what we do or why we do it. In patient love we may attempt to orient them to the purposes of the arts in Christian community. One of the most common complaints against us as Christian art music composers goes something like this: “You say that you are trying to use the gifts and artistic vision God gave you to edify me and the Church. Well, I’m not being edified! Instead I am being irritated and disturbed, and there are plenty of others who agree with me. So you must be doing something wrong.” Notwithstanding the problems of trying to deal with such an analysis, let us focus here on one important aspect: Art music requires effort to make and to listen to. It requires patient investment. That is one of its chiefly unique values, especially in the context of the Kingdom of God. Like other disciplines, art music offers riches, but only to those willing to exert themselves. This exertion includes education and exposure of the deliberate kind. Such characteristics comport well with the Kingdom as described in Scripture, but do not always comport well with modern lifestyles. Pastoral-level leadership is ultimately necessary in order to bring Christian communities to understand this. Once convinced of the nature, purpose and value of art music in a Christian context, people then are faced with a second choice: whether or not to do the things necessary to gain from art music. We must be ready to help those who want to learn. In the meantime, we must also do our best to convey the historical sense in which the Church embraced and led in the creation of art music through many eras. Mutual musical submission of the kind described earlier will also help in these tasks. We must be willing to fellowship with our brothers and sisters through music they are comfortable with if we are then to ask them to fellowship with us through our music. They may discover what our art music has to offer – and we may discover something different that another music has to offer. This is all to the benefit of God’s Kingdom.

Section II. Leading your group

Leader as servant

Jesus made it clear: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:25b-28 NIV).” In the Kingdom we cannot lead effectively unless we serve others. Conversely, that is why it is so important that each of you as CFAMC members be put in a position in which you are a servant leader to two other members, for the richest Christian fellowship ultimately rests on serving and being served in the context of Christian perspectives.

Praying for your group

We each probably have different perspectives on prayer. As Christians, however, we are all obligated to believe that prayer is efficacious and good. One very reassuring thing about prayer is that it is something we are always free to do as an act of service and love. It is possible that you may never meet the members of the group you lead face to face, but in prayer you will have participated substantially in their eternal lives. Some of us are more “people-oriented” and others of us are more “idea-oriented”. Your particular tendencies influence how and why you pray for others. We’d like to suggest several things with regard to praying for the two members of the group you lead. First, remember that your minimum commitment is to pray consistently for each person at least once per week. Second, ask the Lord to reveal to you His perspective on the person – how much He loves them, what a wonderful plan He has for them as His child, and how He wants to bless them as they seek to develop and use their compositional gifts and opportunities for His purposes. To some degree, the other specific things you lift up to the Lord on those occasions will vary greatly – over time they will come from your increasing knowledge of the joys, victories and challenges the other person faces. Without limiting the nature of your prayers, we’d like to suggest that some attention always be given to the compositional life of those you pray for – you may very well be the only other one lifting up that particular area of the person’s life in prayer.

Communicating with your group members (including face-to-face meetings if and when practical)

A second area that is obviously critical to developing fellowship is communication. These days there are many options, though people respond with varying enthusiasm to each one. Though they are the most complex to arrange, we would probably all agree that face-to-face meetings are also the most special. We try to arrange things so that at least one of the three groups in your network is made up of members in closer geographic proximity. However, this is not always possible, and “closer” is a matter of opinion. Also, your most geographically oriented group may not be the one you lead. Another way to see each other face to face is at events such as conferences and festivals. CFAMC tries to distribute information about which members will be at which major events, and group leaders can facilitate such information exchange.

Another good way to communicate with your group members is through postal mail. Everyone likes to get cards and letters. Telephone calls are sometimes yet another good option, though differences in daily schedules and time zones can be a challenge. CFAMC does not publish phone numbers on our website, so you will need to discuss this option with your group members if you desire to call them. Finally, it is likely that email will play some role in your communication strategy. Hopefully you will come to discover which kinds of contact are most conducive to your relationship with the group – and that will vary depending on the individuals in question. However you end up communicating with your group, remember that you are expected to proactively contact each of the other two people individually at least once per month in the group you lead.

Ways to encourage work and witness

Communication is important in and of itself, but the content of your interaction with group members is also important. The main purpose of these fellowship groups is to foster directed conversations about the relationship between compositional and spiritual life. Encouragement, understood broadly, is a key component of this. One of the easiest ways to encourage is simply to ask about compositional activities. Questions such as – What are you writing right now? How is that project going? Will it be performed, and if so when and where? – are almost always welcome. As you come to know your group members better, you might proceed to deeper questions such as, What is the Lord saying to you through the process of composing this piece? Do you have specific spiritual goals in mind for it? These kinds of questions will likely lead to others. Bear in mind that, although communication about everyday life is never wrong, your main purpose as a group leader to encourage members to be thinking seriously about their work as Christian art music composers. In a way, group leaders encourage an appropriate kind of specific accountability in their members.

After the inquiry stage, encouragement can take the form of insight and advice, though these should be approached carefully and prayerfully. In fact, the most effective thing you can probably promise is that you will pray about the things you discover in your communications. Certainly, though, it is always fine to positively reinforce successes and offer encouragement in challenges.

One important Biblical principle in this regard is found in Rom. 12:15. In our interactions with other Christians we are to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. One aspect of this is simple empathy – when things are going well for a group member, leaders should be genuinely happy, but when things are challenging we should withhold criticism and judgment and simply empathize from our own experiences and in prayer. At a deeper level, this is likely to be most important when your own compositional or spiritual life is “down” at the same time that of the group member you are ministering to is “up”, or vice versa. At such times, genuine empathy in either direction is often quite difficult. But we must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome our weakness rather than imposing how we feel on the person we are ministering to.

However, if you remain aware of these issues, you may very well be in a position to offer suggestions out of genuine love. Depending on the particular relationship in question, this may be more or less difficult. Group leaders with less professional experience or who feel they have less spiritual insight may feel intimidated in ministering to those that are older or more experienced or better established. But we must not succumb to the Enemy in such situations. In the Kingdom, God supernaturally ordains how love flows from person to person, and it is certainly not based on position or age. We must be gracious and patient with one another as we attempt to offer love in the form of encouragement and suggestions. Vulnerability is required in both directions. Nevertheless, there is a fine line between “suggestion” and “criticism” and as leaders we must be vigilant and in constant prayer about what we say to one another.

One sure-fire path to successful leadership is advocating for your group members. Literally this means “being on their side”, speaking out positively and publicly about them spiritually and professionally. The most important arena for this advocacy is the CFAMC milieu itself – the newsletter, listening page, website, email discussion lists and conferences. Some leaders may also find situations beyond CFAMC to be advocates for their group members, and if so that is also perfectly appropriate as well.

More specifically, each month a single work of one CFAMC member is spotlighted on our Listening Page, and as group leader you should encourage your members to submit the necessary materials to be considered for that exposure. In getting to know your group members, you may even discover a specific piece that you could suggest for submission, and you may be able to assist by previewing notes and comments as well. Listening page proposals should be submitted to William.Vollinger@aol.com.

CFAMC wants to encourage a Christian model of professionalism in which we promote one another rather than promoting ourselves. To that end, we encourage you as a group leader to be the one to spread good news about your group members through the CFAMC email discussion list (cfamc@yahoogroups.com - free registration required), and in other venues as you see fit.

Although CFAMC is not a professional development organization in the traditional secular sense, we hope that group communications will naturally give rise to networking that may be mutually beneficial. This might take the form of encouraging (and, when feasible and appropriate, facilitating) the participation of group members in professional compositional activities such as conferences, festivals, workshops, etc., and might also include advice or assistance in developing performance opportunities. This will only work well if all group leaders are looking toward the interests of their members. Again, the model is that we mutually serve one another rather than always looking after our own interests (Phil. 2:3-4).

Finally, though it is something fraught with complexity, we hope that group leaders will develop the sort of relationships with those in the group that will allow ever deeper exploration of some of the theological issues touched on in the first section of this guide. We need to encourage one another to grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ specifically in the areas touched by our lives as composers. This includes the actual composition process, but also how we work with performers, audiences, congregations, colleagues and students. It even includes how our lives as composers interface with our families and friends. Also at the heart of this is how we comport ourselves professionally, which includes interpersonal, financial and ethical issues. No area is to be withheld from Christ, and although we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling and allow the Lord to direct our sanctification, we can certainly be salt and light to one another through fellowship along the way. This kind of delicate spiritual intimacy between believers requires fervent prayer, great love, patience and ever-increasing wisdom of the kind noted throughout this section.

Writing reviews of members' compositions

One specific service that group leaders are asked to provide is an annual peer review of one composition by each of the two other members in the group you lead. We also hope that over time many of these peer reviews will be submitted for inclusion in the CONCERTed offering newsletter. The tangible feedback such reviews supply to the composer is generally quite valuable. However, because of the special nature of CFAMC relationships, a few guidelines about the purpose and nature of peer reviews within CFAMC are in order.

In the non-Christian world, the purpose of peer reviews varies greatly but often centers on one or more of the following:

1) A kind of “mutual admiration society” divorced from reality. Though it sounds harsh, this is merely a form of lying that has no place in the Christian milieu. We should never say something about another person’s work, whether positive or negative, that we do not really mean. Our “yes” should be “yes” and our “no” should be “no” (Matt. 5:37).

2) A way to tear colleagues down, especially in order to build ourselves up or to control one agenda or outcome or another. This attitude comes from a lack of faith in the sufficiency of God. As Christians we can truthfully praise the good in other composers’ work without disadvantaging our own work because it is God who directs our paths and outcomes. His grace is sufficient to provide for the needs of us all.

3) A way to make a point that we believe in strongly, but one that is totally unrelated to the composition or the composer being reviewed. This has the same roots as #2.

No doubt you can think of other agendas that surround some professional peer reviews. It should be clear, however, that the purpose of CFAMC peer reviews is to provide loving encouragement to the composer. However, this does not mean that there is no place for criticism. Indeed, it is only in the power and love of the Holy Spirit and under the Lordship of Jesus Christ that composers may criticize each other’s work in ways that are constructive rather than destructive. Such review, though, requires the reviewer to put his or her ego aside and really examine the piece on its own terms. For example, what would be the point of criticizing a piece because it is atonal rather than tonal? The only reason would be an attempt to impose one’s own agenda on the piece rather than examining what the piece actually is and what it accomplishes with the materials and processes chosen by the composer. “Loving encouragement” includes real praise for things done well, honest questions about things that the reviewer does not understand in the piece, and suggestions for how to improve the piece in terms of helping the composer achieve the goals he or she seems to have set out for the piece explicitly or implicitly.

Thus one of the least helpful things a reviewer can say is “I liked it” or “I didn’t like it.” It may be necessary to say one or the other of those things in order to frame subsequent comments, but such a tactic should be carefully considered. In some ways we cannot avoid our own biases, but we can try to minimize their impact on the usefulness of peer reviews. In the end, we want our reviews to encourage members to keep at the compositional task for the glory of God, and so each thing we say should be crafted to spur further consideration and effort rather than to thwart the composer’s vision and calling.

From a more specifically practical perspective it may be useful to limit peer reviews to between 500 and 1000 words, though length will be dictated by the length and scope of the piece as well. Limiting the length of the review forces us to make each word count and to focus on what is really important in the piece. Longer reviews are also harder to publish in various CFAMC venues. Reviews should include some sort of description of the materials and processes of the piece, as well as what the composer seems to be trying to accomplish, and should focus on levels of success in the piece from that perspective. It is usually useful to highlight a few aspects or moments that stand out. The style of the review should be readable and engaging, neither too technical nor too general. Though care should be taken not to over-spiritualize the content of the work, it is certainly appropriate to discuss ways in which Christian ideas may have influenced the composition – even in pieces that do not have texts.

In order to assist with the writing of reviews, make sure each member submits a full score, a recording (whenever possible; MIDI is certainly acceptable) and a brief program note to guide your deliberations. Arrange for each piece to be submitted during a time in which you can complete the review in no more than a month’s time. It is also important to understand that it is your responsibility as group leader to proactively solicit each year the pieces from your group members to be reviewed.

After reviews are completed, send them back to the composer along with all the submitted materials. Then take a very important next step by asking them to respond to your review. It is imperative that there be honest and open communication about the review from both directions. After having such discussion, you may find it useful to revise your review, but there is no obligation to do so. In any case, be sure to obtain permission from the composer before submitting any review to CFAMC for publication. Some reviews may be more suitable for private learning experience, while others might be more beneficial to a wider reading audience.

If you and the group member agree that the review is suitable for publication, submit it to CFAMC by email. While it is likely that not all submitted reviews will be published, having more choices generally gives publication editors greater freedom to find reviews that will benefit the broadest CFAMC audience. It may also be possible to publish some reviews informally on the CFAMC yahoogroup email list, or to include the review on a Listening Page of the work.

What to do if interpersonal problems arise

Jesus said that we should not worry about tomorrow since today has enough troubles of its own. We hope and pray that CFAMC groups will be nothing but a positive experience for all involved. However, we are all fallen human beings and it would naïve to think that interpersonal issues will never arise within your group, even if only occasionally.

If and when such frictions arise, our first response is often to want to get away from one another as fast as possible. But this natural instinct is not a Christian response. God may very well use differences to teach us something important about His will in the Kingdom. “Iron sharpens iron” it is often said, and we should be prepared to stay in fellowship through at least some series of steps before abandoning our relationships.

The first thing to do is to agree to lift up the situation in mutual prayer for a time. The length of time will vary, but a minimum of 1-2 weeks should normally be allowed, and longer if possible. During this initial prayer time, it may be necessary to refrain from written or verbal communication in order to avoid saying things we might later regret. On the other hand, some people work out their differences much better through conversation. Only your knowledge of yourself and the other person(s), guided by the Holy Spirit, can reveal the best course of action in this regard.

At some point, though, written or verbal communication will be necessary. If it becomes clear that such interaction is not helping the situation, it may be wise to bring another CFAMC member into the process as a kind of mediator. If you have doubts about who to ask, email CFAMC and we will try to help.

If after prayer, dialogue and mediation it remains clear that a resolution is impossible, CFAMC will rearrange the group(s) as necessary, but as suggested above this should be a last resort.

Though it is dangerous to “borrow trouble” or suggest bad things that might happen in groups, it may also be useful to name some areas that might be more apt to give rise to conflict. The first of these centers on whether you, the group leader, are fulfilling the responsibilities given to you. Failure to do so will obviously result in significant frustration for the other two members of your group. If after making a reasonable attempt at leading your group you feel that you cannot meet the responsibilities it would be far better to let us know that than to let group frustration continue to build.

Peer reviews may be also be the cause of friction, though if the guidelines detailed above are followed the chances of such will be minimized significantly. If it becomes clear that the writing of the peer review is a continued source of conflict, a mutual decision to cease is acceptable. If that decision is taken, try to work with the group member to find another CFAMC member willing to provide the review instead.

Finally, we will all have to respect personal boundaries in our group relationships. It may be that a member or a leader is simply not ready to delve deeper or to increase the amount of time devoted to fellowship. Clarity of communication and loving responses will normally stop conflicts from developing in such circumstances.

Section III. Recommended resources

Theology and the arts, especially music

Resounding Truth (2007) by Jeremy Begbie (Baker Academic)

The Music of Jesus: From Composition to Koinonia (2001) by Mark Hijleh (Writers Club Press)

(These two contain many references to other important works)

Theology and fellowship

Life Together (1940s; published 1954) by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Harper San Francisco)

The Divine Conspiracy (1998) by Dallas Willard (HarperCollins) – Chapter 7, “The Community of Prayerful Love”

Christian group leadership and ministry

http://www.xenos.org/classes/leadership/index.htm (Syllabus weeks 1-4)