Music Director

Bethel Lutheran Church, Winchester, VA Director of Music Ministries
(approximately 10-15 hours per week)

Anticipated Start Date: April 1, 2025

Position Overview:

Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church, a vibrant and inclusive ELCA Lutheran congregation in Winchester, VA, seeks a dedicated and versatile musician to lead our worship services through a rich blend of Contemporary Christian Music and Traditional Lutheran hymns. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding and passion for Christian worship, effectively integrating a variety of musical styles to enhance our communal worship experience. Knowledge of Lutheran Liturgy is not required, but a willingness to learn and incorporate it is preferred. This role involves directing our worship choir and worship band and fostering a worship environment that is inclusive, reverent, and spiritually enriching. Bethel’s sanctuary recently underwent a renovation to include a state-of-the-art sound system, multi-media display screens with live streaming capabilities, a flexible choir loft and music space, and a new Yamaha digital grand piano.

Key Responsibilities:

·       Collaborate with the Pastor, volunteers, office manager, and tech team to plan and deliver weekly worship and special services. Emphasis on incorporating both contemporary worship songs and traditional Lutheran hymns for a creative presentation of the Gospel is preferred.

·       Coordinate and lead weekly rehearsals for the worship choir and band, ensuring all participants are well-prepared for worship services. (Currently 2 separate rehearsals.).

·       Introduce new worship music that complements worship themes while maintaining a strong connection to the rich heritage of Lutheran hymns.

·       Direct and nurture the church choir and band, providing vocal coaching and fostering a spirit of community and worshipful expression.

·       Arrange music that reflects the theological and liturgical traditions of the ELCA, ensuring a harmonious blend between contemporary and traditional elements.

·       Collaborate with the audio/visual teams to ensure high-quality sound and visual support during services, enhancing the worship experience, and ensuring that worship song slides match the arrangements of music sung in worship. Training is provided.

·       Foster a worship environment that encourages the congregation’s participation in worship, facilitating an inclusive and active worship environment.

Additional Duties:

·       Participate in and provide music leadership for special services such as Advent Mid-week Worship, Christmas Eve (3 pm Christmas in a Barn & 7 pm Candlelight Communion in Sanctuary), Lenten Mid-Week Worship, Holy Week, Easter, as well as other church events and functions as able.

·       Manage the music ministry budget, to include the selection and purchase of music and necessary equipment. Ensure resources are used wisely to support the worship life of the congregation.

·       The Music Director is given first-refusal rights for providing music for weddings and funerals. Families are expected to provide an additional stipend to the musician for these services.

Qualifications:

·       A strong Christian faith and commitment to embrace the teachings of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the inclusive welcome of all God’s children at Bethel Lutheran Church.

·       Proficiency in both contemporary Christian worship music and traditional Lutheran hymns.

·       A strong worship leader and collaborative musician with strong communication and organizational skills.

·       Experience in directing choirs and bands within a worship setting, understanding how to work with various musicians such as guitars, bass, drums, and others, providing chord charts, lead sheets, and vocal part notations for singers utilizing Songselect, Praisecharts.com, Lifeway Worship resources amongst others.

·       Knowledge and understanding of proper copyright compliance for all music used in worship, maintaining quarterly copyright reporting for all copyright licenses.

·       Ability to play a musical instrument. Piano and improvisational skills are preferred. Organ skill is a plus. (See more about our instruments at the end of this document.)

·       A heart for ministry and the ability to work collaboratively with church leadership and volunteers.

·       Knowledge of Lutheran liturgy is not required, but a willingness to learn it, and incorporate it into worship planning and leadership is preferred.

Hours:  Approximately 10-15 hours per week, including one weekly Sunday worship gathering at 9:30 am, weekly rehearsals (Thursday evenings at 7 pm [Choir] and Sunday mornings at 8:30 am [Choir and band]), and occasional special services such as Advent and Lenten Mid-Week Worship, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Christmas Eve.

Compensation:  Commensurate with experience.

Benefits: 4 paid vacation Sundays, 2 Continuing Education Sundays, and 1 sick Sunday per calendar year.

To Apply:

·       Please submit your resume and a cover letter detailing your worship leadership experience and include a brief statement of faith that reflects your understanding of Music and Worship Leadership.

·       Please submit a video recording (or link to a recording) of you leading worship to include one contemporary worship song, one traditional hymn, and a 3rd piece of your choosing.

·       Application Documents should be emailed to employment@bethelwinchester.com or mailed to:

Bethel Lutheran Church
2077 N. Frederick Pk.
Winchester, VA  22603

Attn: Music Director Search Team

The position is open until filled.

About our Music Ministry:

At Bethel, our weekly worship gatherings beautifully reflect our vibrant and diverse faith community. Our music ministry is a dynamic, intentional blend of styles, featuring the harmonious voices of our worship choir and band, a mix of sacred and modern choral music offerings, timeless hymns, and contemporary worship songs from the universal church.

We are passionate about embracing the unique gifts of every individual! Our Worship Choir is a welcoming family of volunteer singers of all ages and skill levels. Rehearsals take place on Thursday evenings at 7 pm. Members share their love for singing, commit to regular practice, and lead our congregation in song each week. No formal musical training or sight-reading skills are necessary—just a heart for worship and a joyful spirit.

Our Worship Band is a talented group that features piano, drums, bass, acoustic, and electric guitars. Musician’s abilities range from intermediate to advanced proficiency. We currently rehearse combined with the Worship choir at 8:30 am each Sunday before worship.

We also have a dedicated memorial music fund, allowing us to further enrich our musical offerings and bring in additional instruments for special services like Christmas and Easter, or when the music calls for it.

Join us and be a part of something truly inspiring—a community where your musical talents can flourish and make a meaningful impact!

About our Instruments:

Yamaha Digital Grand Piano: The flagship of Yamaha’s Clavinova digital piano line contains over 1,600 onboard voices, enhancing our blended worship style of music. Bethel was able to purchase this amazing instrument through the generous gifts of our congregation in 2023. You can read more about it at the following link: https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/pianos/clavinova/cvp-809gp/index.html

Pipe Organ: Originally built by M.P. Möller and installed in 1913 at Grace Lutheran Church, (Downtown Winchester), the organ was rebuilt and installed at Bethel in 1994 by the Hagerstown Organ Company. It is currently maintained by Mark Pichowicz of Markus Organs (https://markusorgans.com/about/). You can see the stop list and specifications by following this link: https://pipeorgandatabase.org/instruments/63810#stoplists

Malmark Handchimes: 5 Octaves of handchimes are on hand and have been utilized for both children’s, youth, and adult ensembles.