Publisher’s description: A communion moment from the Christian airwaves travels to the choir loft in this sensitively adapted choral. The heart-felt images of the table of mercy are presented with vivid imagery and sensitive music. The words are a bittersweet reminder that in Christ’s suffering we find our healing through his death we are redeemed. An insightful choice for communion observances.

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Publisher’s description: A powerful statement of confidence and faith, this praise anthem springs from the contemporary Christian artist genre but translates beautifully to the choir loft. A good balance of unison singing and four-part writing assists in quick learning, and the inclusion of the time-honored hymn, My Jesus, I Love Thee, is a pleasant addition. An excellent choice for blended worship.

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Publisher’s description: This charming new carol from the creative pens of team Getty is a splendid holiday song. This unique choral teaches us about the miracle of the King of Heaven becoming a little baby. Taking us beyond the manger, the child grows and begins his life growing in wisdom and in favor with God and man. Consider this modern carol for the Sundays following Christmas incorporating your children’s choir for an effective worship moment. Oboe (or C-instrument) part included.

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Publisher description: Already becoming a standard song in the praise and worship genre, James Koerts has put this worshipful song into stellar form for your choir. Easy to sing rhythms and harmonies make this a winner.

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I’ve been privileged to serve in the ministry for twelve years, the last five being at my current church. How to approach Easter Sunday has always been a hot topic of conversation.

For years we put a special emphasis on our Sunday morning services. We knew this was when most of our worshipers would attend, so it just made sense to focus the majority of our attention on these services. I would typically select a 30 minute cantata with narration and congregational singing, then our pastor would have the rest of the service.

Several factors made us rethink this approach, not the least of which being the hit we would take in attendance at our Easter Sunday evening service. Honestly, it was a let down to lead a service that pailed in comparison to the morning worship. Eventually we decided to transform our Easter Sunday evening into a musical production format–similar to our Christmas programs–complete with drama, music, sets, etc. This ultimately became an outreach tool to reach our community for Christ, and it freed up the stress (and clutter?) of our morning worship.

Now, our Easter Sunday morning worship looks much like our other worship services. We might add an additional special music selection, or include a drama scene from the upcoming musical, but we have been able to focus primarily on the preaching, which is a good thing.

Last year was the first year with this new format, and it was a venture of faith. We had no idea how our church and the community would respond to this change. We were pleasantly pleased with the response. Our packed church participated in a phenomenal evening of worship. Our members rallied around the concept, and worked hard to invite their friends and associates. Souls were saved. Believers were encouraged. Christ was exalted.

How does your church celebrate Christ’s resurrection at Easter?

I’m excited about this year’s Easter program. But then, I get excited at just about everything we do at our church!

This program, entitled “I Stand Redeemed,” is an adaptation of a musical (Brentwood) called “Then Came the Morning.” The program is a collection of songs and narration, with an optional drama available for free download on their site. It is the powerful drama which was the compelling factor in deciding to choose this program. This is the second year we are doing this Easter production (more about that later), so not only were we familiar with it, but we were able to adapt it to fit our theme.

Here is the list of songs our choir, ensembles, soloists and orchestra will be using to weave the message of redemption together with the drama. (I’ve included links for the songs that we are adding to the program this year.)

• Redeemed! I needed an upbeat song to open the program that would help establish our theme. What better song than “Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It”? I thought I found an arrangement of it, but it was out of print, and the publisher dragged their feet in providing me permission to reproduce the song. So I wrote my own arrangement.
• He Comes to Us with Love. I love the message of this song which clearly acknowledges that we come to Jesus with nothing, and yet He offers us everything.
• He Touched Me. Over the years, I have learned that this song of personal testimony is loved by many. This solo feature arrangement with choir backup is a highlight of the program at our church.
• The Breaking of the Bread. This song reflects the Last Supper, and reminds us of the significance of the bread and wine. This song works well for an ensemble or small group.
• The Debt. This powerful song–perhaps my favorite in the program–is a bold identification with the sufferings of Christ on the cross, and a stark reminder that what He did on the cross resulted in the payment of the penalty of my sins.
• Lamb of God. A new addition to our program this year, this song is an offering of gratitude for the sacrifice of the perfect “Lamb,” Jesus Christ.
• Then Came the Morning. Easter is all about the resurrection, so this song is where things get exciting. This powerful anthem is a narrative of the events that took place at the resurrection.
• Stronger. Another new addition, this song of adoration emphasizes the reality that Christ is able to defeat sin and the grave.
• I Stand Redeemed. Our program culminates with this powerful anthem that seeks to answer the question, What does the resurrection of Christ mean to me? As born-again believers (people who have put their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation), it means (among many wonderful things) that one day we will stand before God as His redeemed, and it means that, in His eyes, regardless of my faults and failures, I stand righteous before Him today.

Our goal? Simply put, we believe this program will be a tremendous blessing to believers, and an effective outreach to our community for the gospel.

What is your church doing this year?

Below is an audio interview I did with Paul Schmutzler at Piano Animato. He was interested in my background, and some of the creative processes involved in arranging music. Enjoy!

Publisher’s description: The thought of standing before God’s throne, knowing we are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, is an amazing truth expressed in this uplifting arrangement by James Koerts. Available separately: SATB, ChoirTrax CD. Score and parts (fl, ob, cl2, tpt 1-3, hn, tbn 1-2, tbn 3/tba, perc, vn 1-2, va, vc, db) available as a CD-ROM and as a digital download. Duration: ca. 4:00.

Preview sample pages.

Enjoy this rhythmic and energetic piano arrangement of the gospel song, When We All Get to Heaven. This is an early advanced arrangement that will inspire hope for each believer as they reflect on the joy and reality of their future home in heaven.

Would you do a favor for me? I want to “get the word out,” so please click on the “Tweet & Get It” button to receive this arrangement. Once you have sent your tweet, you’ll be able to download the file.

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Digital audio sample:

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I have come across a gem that has significantly improved my ability to “minister” effectively while performing my piano offertories. It’s not exactly something that I was taught; it was actually something I picked up from observing others and evaluating my own performances. It’s an idea that will revolutionize your piano ministry in your church.

Simply put, to maximize the impact of your instrumental solo, play at a level slightly below your ability. For example, if you are an advanced pianist, play something that is late intermediate. If you normally play at an intermediate level, play something early intermediate. And so on.

I have been doing this for years, and it has allowed me to minister more effectively from the keyboard. Here’s the reason it works: it’s a trade-off. If you’re willing to play something at an easier level, you’ll be able to focus more on communicating the text behind the tune. You’ll be able to play more expressively, and you won’t be so tied to the music. I have tried to consider this principle when writing music for choir and/or piano, and I’ve found that the songs that are more accessible just have a greater impact.

I’m certainly not advocating a lazy approach to your pianistic ministry. I believe in the value of improving your technique and advancing your ability. But you would serve your people best, and have a greater impact, if you saved your advanced material for the practice room and the concert hall, and enjoy the benefits that a slightly easier level song might afford you as you minister through music.

Anyone else experience this?

So I’ve been thinking: What’s the best way to teach a congregation a new song? There are a lot of factors to consider when seeking to teach a congregation a new song:

The accessibility (or inaccessibility) of the song
In other words, how easy is it to sing? When introducing a song to a group of individuals with varying levels of music ability, you’ll have better success with a simpler melody.

The level of familiarity with the song
When introducing a new song, it may be assumed that the congregation is generally unfamiliar with the tune. This may not always be the case, for various reasons. Any level of familiarity with the song will improve the congregation’s “success” in singing it.

The confidence of the worship leader
Obviously, those introducing the song–whether it be the worship leader, the instrumentalists, a vocal group, or a large choir–need to be comfortable and confident with the song. You can’t teach something unless you know it well yourself.

So how do you teach a congregation a new song? I think the answer is to address the above considerations.

Regarding accessibility, choose well. (Simple enough, right?) Regarding familiarity, introduce it early (like months in advance) by a vocal soloist, an ensemble, or the choir. After you’ve done that, have an instrumentalist play it for an offertory (providing the words on the screens for the congregation to follow along). Hopefully, at this point you will have addressed the last concern, that of confidence. Any additional ways to explore greater confidence should be explored.

Some final thoughts:

• When a choir piece becomes a favorite of the choir, and ultimately a favorite of the congregation, maybe it’s time to turn it into a congregational song. You might have to do a little re-arranging to make it happen. Of course, consider the factors above, especially accessibility.
• If it’s imperative to teach a song without the element of familiarity, the song leader or another soloist can lead the first stanza alone. Then have the congregation sing the same stanza. That may be enough the first time.
• Don’t give up if the first run-through is a flop. Regroup. See what you need to do differently. Try again.
• Be sure to make the new song a regular part of your congregational worship.

Song leaders and worship planners: How do you teach your congregation a new song? Give me some tips.

I’m a big fan of hymnals. In fact, you could say that I casually collect them. If you were to walk into my office and glance at my bookshelves, you would notice what could probably be described as a fairly large collection of them.

I grew up singing from hymnals in church. For every song. Without exception. When I went away to Christian college, we nearly exclusively used a hymnal. In my first ministry, the hymnal was the primary source of our congregational worship. Currently, I am serving in a ministry in which the congregation does not use a hymnal. It’s been a breath of fresh air. Here’s why:

It offers greater flexibility. As someone who has been involved with planning the weekly worship services, I’m always looking for new (and old) songs that communicate the truths needed for the hour. I have about three “go-to” hymnals which I prefer, but if I can’t find it in any of those, I have liberty to go to other sources. By displaying the lyrics on the overhead screens, we can build medleys and theme-based sets that provide continuity and seamless transitions. I am not limited to the selections of one hymnal.

Our congregation does sing out better. Loud singing is awesome! There’s something about not looking down, but rather looking up, and not being distracted with singing a part, that aids in vibrant congregational singing.

I know, I know… you feel bad that your congregation won’t be able to sing parts without the music in front of them. Even more egregiously, you feel like you’re contributing to the lack of music education in today’s society. Let’s be honest: when has music education ever been a purpose of congregational singing, or corporate worship, for that matter. Here’s the point: it shouldn’t be. (Dan Kreider has written an excellent article about this point.)

It keeps the main thing the main thing. Frankly, having to flip through the pages of a hymnal can be a distraction for the worshiper. Further, to varying degrees, part-reading can be a distraction as well. Focusing on the words (lyrics) can help us focus on the truths being communicated. And that’s a good thing.

In conclusion, let me back-pedal a little, before I get ostracized by the three of you who haven’t already ostracized me. I like hymnals. I hope they don’t go away. I enjoy occasionally using them for devotional purposes. We have just discovered the value of not using them in corporate worship. Every church is different, and each one gets to make its own call on the issue. I’m just sharing my perspective. I hope it gives you something to think about.