The growing music and missions movement took another giant step forward in promoting awareness of Christian worship among all peoples of the earth with GCoMM 2006, the second gathering of the Global Consultation on Music and Missions. Held at Bethel University, Saint Paul, Minnesota, July 11-15, 2006 the event brought together about 250 participants from more than thirty nations and six continents, among whom were pastors, music leaders, ethnomusicology field workers, missionaries, educators, and students. Local congregations also participated by providing transportation, prayer, hospitality, and even ethnic performance groups during several of the plenary sessions.
The very packed program included ten plenary sessions, 40 seminars, evening movies, and prayer times. Despite the lack of free time, participants found time to fellowship over the meals, forge new relationships and even begin strategic partnerships. The non-stop connecting was enhanced by ad hoc luncheons and coffee break times for many of the groups represented. As one participant said, “GCoMM greatly enriched my life, both professionally and spiritually. …it wasn’t one thing in particular, but the whole experience. I continue daily to try to bring my thinking in line with a greater vision and a somewhat new perspective, and I am thrilled for the larger network of contacts I have!”
OPENING PROCESSIONAL – Of the many stunning and memorable moments at GCoMM, the opening processional may have been the first of its kind in the history of global events. Instead of the typical parade of flags, this parade featured the instruments of the nations. Musical instruments of all sizes, shapes and origin were lifted to the Lord as offerings of praise during the procession and placed prominently across the front of the huge Bethel University Benson Hall stage. These instruments from the nations became the visual icon for the entire conference.
OPENING DECLARATION – Following the processional, the tone of the event was set with a powerful declarational moment. Interspersed with calls on the shofar and other instruments, Scriptures that announce the global reign of the Lord were read in various languages, while being displayed in English, boldly proclaiming the greatness of God and His place as Lord over all the nations.
MULTI-ETHNIC PRAISE – The times of singing also broke new ground for global gatherings. IziBongo, an incredible team of musicians, led the worship, using mostly non-western songs. What set the team apart was their ability to provide very authentic accompaniment to the singing, using a vast array of instruments from many parts of the world. Leading songs in the heart languages of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and elsewhere, team members moved effortlessly from one instrument to another with breathtaking agility. A mother-daughter duo also demonstrated professional skill and global awareness through worship choreography.
Most of the troupe’s members had missions experience, which made it possible to present even the singing of the Canela, a small people group from Brazil, who sing in intricate tone cluster “harmony.” As one participant said, “At times it was like heaven on earth….Although we recognized the importance of each person and each group worshiping in their own ‘heart music,’ we moved beyond that to expressing our love for others by worshiping in their heart music. It was awesome!”
PLENARY SESSIONS – Speakers in the plenary sessions greatly increased participants’ understanding of music in the church around the world. I-to Loh from Taiwan shared about the church in Asia, illustrating his thoughts from the Asian hymnal “Sound the Bamboo.” (This landmark hymnal that he compiled and edited has been called one of the most professionally researched of all non-western hymnals.) Another Asian speaker is one of the most esteemed musicians who serves the Chinese house church movement on the mainland. Both speakers touched on themes relating to suffering and how God uses music to strengthen His church.
Brazilian musician, author and pastor Atilano Muradas, one of the most popular musicians at GCoMM 2003, returned to address the entire GCoMM 2006 gathering. He spoke about the ways that Brazilian samba became the means for Christians to express their faith via high-quality presentations during parades and the annual Carnaval events.
Ron Man, worship speaker with Greater Europe Mission, provided outstanding and comprehensive Biblical studies on worship. Three panels, led by Byron Spradlin, Tom Ferguson, and Brian Schrag, dealt with current issues related to music and mission. Fuller’s Roberta King, Wycliffe’s Tom Avery, and John Witvliet of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship also made thrilling plenary contributions.
SEMINARS – The seminars were again a highlight of this GCoMM event. Subjects were organized by tracks which included Foundations, Contextualization, Methodology, Arts and Media, and Overcoming Obstacles. A vast array of topics flowed from these different emphases, providing a veritable smorgasbord of case studies, reports, assessments, and practical applications from around the world.
NEW MEDIA – Several media tools were prepared for release at GCoMM 2006. These included a CD-ROM of the entire proceedings, which was given to every registrant upon arrival. It featured the notes for every plenary session and for almost all of the seminars.
Bethel staff also published recordings all of the spoken word presentations for the entire event on a DVD of mp3 files.
Early in the week Frank Fortunato, the GCoMM 2006 Planning Committee Chair and event co-host, addressed local guests from area churches to help them understand the purpose of GCoMM. He related that this ongoing global consultation has come out of new insight into the role of music and the arts in missions. Beyond the networking and the educational sessions and seminars, the gathering aims to make a new collective commitment to the Great Commission, asking God to reveal the many ways that music and the arts could be His tools to reach the nations. He then concluded:
We are here to re-commit ourselves to use God’s gifts of music and art to evangelize, disciple, help build churches and, if needed, to lay down our lives to do our part to contribute to that moment when we join all redeemed humanity from every tribe and nation surrounding the throne and participating in the anthem of eternity—the praise of our Creator Redeemer.
GCoMM 2006 was one more thread added to the vast global tapestry that anticipates that great moment. Plans are already in motion for a possible GCoMM event in East Asia in 2009.
GCoMM 2006 Plenary Speakers:
Ron Man, Greater Europe Mission
I-to Loh, Tainan Theological College & Seminary
Roberta King, Fuller Theological Seminary
John Witvliet, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Mary K. Oyer, Goshen College
Steven L. Fry, Messenger Fellowship
Tom Avery, Wycliffe Bible Translators
Atilano Muradas
Other Speakers and Groups:
Anders Rønningen, NMS
April Longenecker, Wycliffe Canada
Aradhna
Bethel Library Staff
Brian Schrag, SIL
Bruce & Rebecca Kelly, Pioneers
Caleb Quaye, ICE
Chuck Oakley, HSI
Dan Fitzgerald, SIL
Dave Hall, Worship From the Nations
David Barkhymer, ICE
Dileep Ratnaike, HSI
George Luke, UCB UK
George McDow, Bethel
Glenn Stallsmith, SIL
Héber Negrão
James R. Krabill, Mennonite Mission Network
Jeff Meyer, Concordia
Jo-Ann Richards, SIL
John Benham, Bethel
Julie Taylor, SIL
Julisa Rowe, ACT
Karen Campbell
Katherine Morehouse, ICE
Ken Davidson, HSI
Ken Hollingsworth, SIL
Laura Eilders
Leon Matthews
Mardoqueo Pop, CAM
Mary Hendershott, SIL
Neil Coulter, SIL
Paul Neeley, ACT
Paul Rumrill, ICE
Paul Stock, Interserve
Rob Barrett, HSI
Robin Harris, InterAct Ministries
Scott Robinson, Eastern
Stan Moore, BHCTI
Stephen Benham, Duquesne
Todd & Mary Beth Saurman, SIL
Tom Avery, Wycliffe
Vernon Charter, PBC
Von Newcom, Pioneers
Wendy Atkins, AIM
Plenary Speakers:
Ron Man
– The Gospel: A Call to Worldwide Worship
– The Bridge: Worship and Culture
I-to Loh
– Hymns and Suffering: Insights from Asian Christians
Roberta King
– Springs of Righteousness and Praise: A Doxology of the Nations
– Leaders in World Praise: Interviews with I-to Loh and Mary Oyer
John Witvliet
– Biblical Constants; Historical Perspectives
Mary K. Oyer
Steven L. Fry
– That the Lamb May Receive the Reward for His Suffering, For the Lamb is Worthy
Tom Avery
– Our Most Important Task
Atilano Muradas
– Jesus é Bom à Beça – The “Jesus is Good to the Max” Samba School
Breakout Sessions:
Anders Rønningen – You Are What You Sing: Identity and Music in Malagasy Culture
April Longenecker – Commending Ourselves to Every Man’s Conscience: Ethical Considerations for the Ethnomusicologist-Missionary
Aradhna – The Aradhna Journey: Hindi Bhajans and Yeshu Bhakti
Bethel Library Staff – Online Resources in Ethnomusicology
Brian Schrag & Dan Fitzgerald – “Yeah, but is it any good?” The Role of Criticism in Christian Song Composition and Performance
Bruce and Rebecca Kelly – Building Redemptive Bridges to the Muslim Community Through Contextualization and the Arts
Dave Hall – “Life Worship: Where Worship Begins and Ends”
George Luke – “Voices of the Voiceless” – Raising Awareness of the Suffering Church Through Christian World Music
George McDow – God Desires to Bring Artists to Himself
Glenn Stallsmith – Using Adult Education Methods in Song-writing Workshops
Héber Negrão – Conflicts Regarding the Use of Guajajara Music in the Indigenous Church
I-to Loh – Interpreting Asian Styles in Asian Hymns
James R. Krabill – Theology of Song
Jeff Meyer – Making Transcriptions Accurate, Useful, and Meaningful
Jeff Meyer – Why Transcription Matters: Writing Down Music for Insight and Understanding
Jo-Ann Richards – A Strange Song in Their Own Land? – Some Thoughts on the African Diaspora in Jamaica
John Benham – Developing a Biblical Case For Music in Missions
Julie Taylor – The Conscious Church: A Postmodernistic View of Trance in Worship
Julisa Rowe – Ethnodramatology 101
Karen Campbell – Let the Broken Places Sing: Towards a Theology of Music in the Northern Irish Context
Katherine Morehouse – The Western Hymn in Missions: Intrusion or Tradition?
Ken Davidson, Chuck Oakley, Rob Barrett, Dileep Ratnaike – Missions, Music and Multimedia: Heart Sounds International
Laura Eilders – Indigenous Worship Music: Case Study on North India
Leon Matthews – Native American Contextualization: Finding the Middle (Sacred) Ground
Mardoqueo Pop – How to Write a Song or Hymn Without Formal Music Training
Mary Hendershott – “Jesus, put your feet in the dance” (A Video Journal from Burkina Faso)
Neil Coulter – Assessing Music Shift: Toward a Conceptual and Methodological Framework for Analysis and Action
Panel: Paul Rumrill, David Barkhymer and Caleb Quaye – Antioch Revisited: Building Worship Events in the Multi-ethnic Church
Panel: Todd & Mary Saurman & Ken Hollingsworth – Being Transformed by a Renewed Understanding of Ethnic Music: Overcoming Obstacles to the Use of Local Music in Worship
Paul Neeley & Natalie Findley – Singin’, Drummin’, and Rappin’ for Allah: Contemporary Muslim Music (CMM) in the West
Paul Rumrill – Bridging Musical Cultures in American Churches
Paul Stock – Evangelism that’s FUN: Sharing Jesus in Sindh through Dance and Wedding Songs
Roberta King – Doing Ethnodoxology in a Changing, Global World: Are Ethnomusicologists Interested in Tribal Musics Only?
Roberta King – The Gospel through Narrative and Song
Roberta King – Toward a Discipline of Christian Ethnomusicology
Robin Harris – Professional Development for the Ethnomusicologist
Scott Robinson – To Go Among the Saracens: A Franciscan Composer’s Journey into the House of Islam
Stephen Benham – The Formation of Christian Identity in Post-Soviet Ukraine: Music Education and Spiritual Development
Todd & Mary Beth Saurman – Effective Principles for Facilitating Applied Ethnomusicology Workshops
Tom Avery & Stan Moore – Ethnomusicology and the Worship Wars
Vernon Charter – Music, Conflict and Spiritual Renewal: the Growth of Music in Ethiopian Evangelical Churches Since the 1960s
Von Newcom – CDs, Cartoons, and Creative Communities
Wendy Atkins – “Heart Music” Goes to School!