It’s funny how often a challenge becomes an opportunity. My rostered drummer was not available for church last Sunday, and I wanted to give my other drummer the week off. I really dislike having music without percussion, so I asked someone else to fill in - a talented muso who hadn’t been on the roster for a while due to family commitments. He told me he was a bit rusty on a regular kit, so he’d bring along his djembe (a simple African drum) instead.

We went for a cut-down, “unplugged” musical ensemble - djembe, piano and acoustic guitar. I suspected it would work well, but it was even better than I’d imagined. There was an organic, rhythmic flavour to the music. It was softer than our usual sound, but the congregation are good singers now, and their voices swelled to fill up the spaces. It was a great morning of singing, as we did Blessed Be Your Name, How Great is our God, Take My Life and It is not Death to Die. I got lots of encouraging feedback later.

Most contemporary churches are trying to make a standard rock ensemble work - but that can be tricky. For some churches, the way forward is to put away the drum sticks, unplug the guitars, and go for something a little more simple and raw…