Music Director Part Time

Job Posting: Music Director/Organist

Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Langley BC

Grounded in the Word of God and centered in Christ, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church is an accepting and caring community, sharing God’s love, grace and forgiveness with all.

Our congregation has a strong tradition of music in our worship life and seeks to include the variety of musical talents from within the congregation.  Our music director works closely with our Pastor to plan, coordinate and lead our worship services. We value a wide variety music from the Lutheran tradition, which includes a variety of contemporary and traditional hymns, anthems and liturgical settings. We value excellence in music of all styles and traditions.

The church has a grand piano and a well-maintained full-size electronic organ in the sanctuary. We regularly use a mixture of piano and organ to support the music in our worship services. Our relatively small choir is active from September through early June each year, typically providing an anthem for each service during that time.  We also have a handful or more of vocal and instrumental soloists who are glad to collaborate with our music director in presenting special music throughout the year.

Job Description

The music director leads the music for, and collaborates in the planning of, the Sunday services and special services throughout the church year.  They are also responsible for leading the church choir’s weekly evening rehearsals, preparing the to sing anthems while nurturing a sense of fellowship.  We will also be looking to this position for guidance as we continue to explore effective and creative use of our recently upgraded audio/visual equipment, including its use for streaming our services.

We are looking for a creative, energetic and flexible individual who:

·         has some familiarity with Lutheran musical traditions and liturgy

·         plays the organ and piano well

·         has excellent communication skills

·         enjoys working with people of all ages

·         is familiar with technology and can incorporate music beautifully in live and online worship

·         experience and interest in working with audio/video recording equipment would be a benefit

The chosen applicant will:

·         seek to express and nurture Christian faith through music

·         have a vision to reach out to our local community through our congregation’s musical ministry

·         boldly lead excellence in music

·         inspire others towards their own highest levels of musical success

·         invite and encourage the participation of community members in our services and other events

A more detailed job description is available upon request.

Terms
The position at present is approximately 20 hours per week: Sunday morning worship as well as other services of the liturgical year, a weekly evening choir rehearsal, preparing the music and assisting with service planning and projection preparation. There is opportunity to play for weddings and funerals. There is some opportunity for the position to grow, and we would be glad to encourage new initiatives in music ministry.

Compensation commensurate with experience and guidelines of Royal College of Church Organists (see rcco.ca).  We are open to dividing the responsibilities of the position into two jobs, if the successful applicant does not have all of the expected skills.