St Andrew's Cathedral is breaking new ground by appointing a "jazz catechist'.
Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen has chosen St Andrew's Cathedral member and jazz musician Richard Maegraith to reach out to Sydney's jazz community.
"The jazz community is a very large community and although there are a lot of Christians interested in jazz and who play jazz music I do not know of a particular ministry that is seeking to reach that community," Dean Jensen says.
Dean Jensen, who has been looking for someone to minister to the jazz community for more than a decade, says Richard is the perfect man for the job.
"Richard has the grace of God and the gospel of Jesus on his heart which gives him a great passion for the lost. He also happens to be a professional jazz musician in both training and practise."
Richard first met Dean Jensen at a jazz service at the Cathedral last year and is now doing a year of study at Moore College.
"We are seeking to work with Richard in the Cathedral to provide a platform for this ministry [as he] obtains his formal theological education," Dean Jensen says.
Richard also runs a Bible study for around half-a-dozen jazz students from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
"It's really the same as any other Bible study, except when we aren't talking about the Bible we talk jazz music," Richard remarks.
Richard says it is important to overcome the challenge of ministering effectively to musicians, whose lifestyle and schedules tend to clash with church meeting times.
"Many musos leave churches because they don't fit into mainstream church culture. Due to lots of late Saturday and Sunday night work it's hard for them to get into the church model of worship and gathering," Richard explains.
"Also, many jazz musos are free spirits and can have trouble ideologically fitting into church structure. Even Christian jazz musos can find it hard to integrate their faith and their free art form."
Richard says Christians must witness and give good Bible teaching to those in the jazz community. This is why, despite his own talent, success and the upcoming release of his new album Free Running on June 26, Richard says he is focussing on ministry over music.
"I've pretty much made the decision I don't care about care going up the chain as a muso. I've decided the gospel is more important," he says.
"I will still keep playing to maintain contacts and credentials, but I would rather be available as a pastor and teacher to musos and see them grow and see people come to know Jesus than advance my music career."
Christians keep it classical
Christ Church, Lavender Bay have recently commenced a unique style of 5pm service to reach new people in the community and classical music styles play an important role in the order of worship.
Polish national Krzysztof Czerwinski, who has various degrees in music and conducting, has joined the church and leads the 5pm music team as well as conducting the choir at the 10am service.
Mr Czerwinski is studying at the Sydney Conservatorium, has played and conducted in various European cathedrals and colleges and brings great musical ability and experience to the church, according to the rector, the Rev Patrick Collins.
"While in Australia he is organising a Polish National Music festival at which he will perform in July," he says.
Patrick says the music in the service combines the contemporary with the classical while remaining "recognisably Anglican".
"The aim was a service for adults who wanted solid Bible teaching, reverent worship, adequate time for prayer and reflection and the opportunity to develop real relationships," Patrick says.
"The concept was not to replicate what other nearby churches like Church by the Bridge and St Thomas', North Sydney were doing so well, but to explore a different mix and perhaps appeal to another demographic.”
Prayers have been answered according to Patrick Collins as God has sent key people to form the core leadership of the new congregation along with Mr Czerwinski.
SMBC students Philip and Diane North have joined the church and now assist leading and preaching.
TWIST poses big questions
According to one of the speakers at this year's TWIST conference, the Rev Dominic Steele, the way evangelical Christians should think about and use music is an "elephant in the room'.
"Fascinatingly at the Multisite Exposed Conference in the USA in April a speaker said there are certain churches that attract people who want to experience particular music and Hillsong was given as the example," Mr Steele says.
"So we are in the city that people in America are saying is the source of what is currently the most influential music genre in Christianity."
Mr Steele says at TWIST he will be opening the scriptures to put forward an evangelical model for how we should best do music.
Music is an issue that commonly divides people because they put their personal preferences before what is best for strengthening the church, according to Mr Steele.
He will speak on 1 Corinthians 12 to 14 and look at what the Bible says about how Christians ought to use their gifts.
"We should be spiritual charismatics - in the true biblical sense - who exercise our gifts in love to see the church strengthened. If we recognise Jesus as Lord, we need to recognise that each Christian brings gifts and should be using them to serve one another in love to see Christ's body built," Mr Steele says.
Mr Steele says Christians must not become anti-creative lest they alienate people.
"I have spent a decade doing ministry to creative people through Christians in the Media, which is evangelical but very warm towards the creative community," he says.
"If we take an approach that is anti-creative we will end up excluding creative people from our churches."
