So-called 'church music' training at SBTS

The Pathetic State of Music at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"The School of Music at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary was once a leading training program for church musicians, but it was shuttered in 2009...Education in church music has supposedly continued under the 'School of Church Ministries', but a glance at their degree plan indicates otherwise."

"This program is not a degree in church music, whatever it’s called. It is nothing more than lessons in how to lead a Sunday morning house cover band"

Courses in "'vocal ensemble leadership'....'worship band techniques.' This is not actual church music. This is pure pop worship. And if this is really what interests you, you can learn how to do this by playing at a local watering hole with some aging barefoot boomers."

"you’re expected to achieve some competency in an instrument. That’s pretty normal. So, voice or organ, right? Nope. SBTS wants you to take some kind of 'worship band lab' course. Your choices are guitar, keys (not piano or organ, but “keyboard”), bass guitar, or drum set."

"Mostly, the whole church music part is missing. There is, again, no organ study,...no choral lit for the church, no rigor in any historic field of sacred musical study. There is apparently no real in-depth interaction with the history of sacred music"



Author's page at the Monergism site:

monergism.com/authorsspeakers/jonathan-aigner