Plugging into Worship: How Contemporary Christian Music Is Impacting Church Musicians

I will begin my analysis with a brief examination of the changes that have occurred in American religion since the 1960s, specifically the privatization of religiosity and decline of denominational loyalty. We will see how churches have begun to tap into music and the arts to speak to congregations in a new way. Keeping these larger scale changes in mind, I will show how CCM has been a medium of involvement for the musicians in Heaven Above at Springhill. We will see how CCM has attracted musicians to not only attend church but to get involved in Heaven Above. We will hear from the musicians about how they became involved in the band and the impact it has had on their experience at Springhill. We will also look at how the group dynamics of the band compare with those of a small group, specifically at how it creates spiritual intimacy and supports individual autonomy as the group comes together to serve the congregation. Next, we will delve deeper into the specific issues that arise from leading worship music on Sunday. We will explore how these musicians balance the inherent distraction in making music with the power that music has to connect musicians to each other, to the congregation, and to God. We will bring all these components together and look at how CCM is providing churches a way to meet the needs of church musicians as they try to connect musically with new generations of believers