Resounding Body: Building Christlike Church Communities through Music

Synopsis

In many churches, music leaders perform a vital function. They help to build churches as the “body of Christ”, living Christlike communities. However, resources can be in short supply.

Combining recent theological reflection with practical advice, Andy Thomas, an experienced leader of music in churches, shows how music-making can help to transform individuals and communities into the body of Christ.

This valuable book encourages music leaders to step up and persevere in low-resource contexts, and challenges all those who lead music in worship to refocus on building communities, not just on producing musical results. It is essential reading for all who lead and direct music in congregations and local churches, as well as clergy, elders, worship committees and educators who oversee and support them.

This book will be an inspiration to all who are called to serve a congregation as church music leaders in a local parish situation. Full of hope and thoughtful ideas, it deals sensitively with many of the practical issues involved in including a wide range of people in the musical ministry. Highly recommended!

Miles Quick, Head of Congregational and Instrumental Music, Royal School of Church Music

This is an insightful and very readable guide to music in worship, for churches where musical resources are thin. It’ll be helpful for any musician or minister wanting to develop their music in church. It roots music in a theology of inclusion and charts an encouraging way forward.

Giles Goddard, Vicar of St John’s in Waterloo

Written in an engaging style, full of human stories and underpinned with solid theology, this book sets before us a vision of what church music and church musicians can be: signs and foretastes of the Kingdom of God, learning in microcosm the lessons of being the body of Christ that the whole church needs to take on board. It is the perfect guide for any church that wants to focus on what really matters when setting up a choir or music group, and will provide refreshing food for thought, prayer and action for existing groups of church musicians.

Mark Earey, Director of Anglican Formation and Tutor in Liturgy and Worship, The Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education

Building up the body of Christ and nurturing Christlike church communities is no simple task. In this readable and accessible book, Andy Thomas shows how music can play its part.

Leslie Francis, Rural Theology

Had I possessed this book through my ministry, I would have been better pastorally enabled to work with musicians, singers and congregations, to meet their needs, and with them better to form the Body of Christ in the contexts in which I have served.

Andrew Pratt, Honorary Research Fellow, Luther King House, Manchester