Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music Membership the Rev
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Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music Membership The Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers, Chair Chicago, V 2015 The Rev. Jennifer Phillips, Vice-Chair Rio Grande, VII 2012 Mr. John Repulski, Secretary Michigan, V 2015 The Rt. Rev. Sergio Carranza-Gomez* Los Angeles, VIII 2012 Ms. Martha K. Baker* Missouri, V 2012 Mr. Samuel Cheung* New York, II 2012 Ms. Rebecca Clark* Olympia, VIII 2012 Mr. Dent Davidson Chicago, V 2015 The Rt. Rev. Thomas Ely Vermont, I 2015 Br. Christopher Hamlett, O.P. Virginia, III 2015 Mr. Sandra Montes Texas, VII 2012 Ms. Jeannine Otis New York, II 2012 The Rt. Rev. John McKee Sloan Alabama, IV 2015 The Rev. Dr. Louis Weil California, VIII 2015 The Rt. Rev. Pierre Welte Whalon* Churches in Europe, II 2012 The Rev. Canon Sandye Wilson, EC Liaison Newark, II The Rev. Canon Gregory Howe, Custodian to the Standard Book of Common Prayer Mr. Frank Tedeschi, CPI Liaison* Ms. Nancy Bryan, CPI Liaison* The Rev. Tom Brackett, Staff Changes in Membership Four changes in membership occurred during the triennium: Bishop Pierre Whalon replaced Bishop Sergio Carranza- Gomez in November 2009; Martha Baker replaced Rebecca Clark in September 2010, who replaced Samuel Cheung in November 2009; and Ms. Nancy Bryan joined as the new liaison from Church Publishing Incorporated in October 2011. Representation at General Convention Deputy Ruth Meyers and Bishop Kee Sloan are authorized to receive non-substantive amendments to the report at Convention. Summary of Work Meetings • November 17–20, 2009, Chicago, Illinois • March 10–13, 2010, Linthicum Heights, Maryland • October 18–20, 2010, Concord, New Hampshire • March 15–19, 2011, Atlanta, Georgia • June 22, 2011, web/teleconference • October 11–15, 2011, Bloomington, Minnesota • November 14, 2011, teleconference Hymnal Revision Study Project Chair: Jeannine Otis In response to the 76th General Convention’s mandate in Resolution 2009-B004, the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music undertook a feasibility study on the need for revision of The Hymnal 1982 with the assistance of the Church Pension Group’s Office of Research. 162 Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music The primary instrument for this study was an online questionnaire with three separate, role-specific versions: one for congregation members, one for clergy, and one for music directors. This instrument, in its various versions, was created by the Office of Research team in consultation with the Commission, Episcopal research colleagues, and subject-matter experts. Spanish translations of the surveys were created and made available online. The surveys covered a few major content areas: • congregational details (location, languages, and staffing) • worship music resources (book availability, book and style, frequency of use) • personal worship and worship music experiences • opinions on current music resources and styles • individual demographics (age, gender, race, general musical tastes) All surveys included a free-text comment section at the end to capture qualitative information participants wished to share. Similar but more role-specific online questionnaires covering the same fundamental content areas were created for and administered to bishops and seminarians. The survey was conducted in two phases: first, a stratified random sample of congregations, based on the proportionate number of total members across the church according to parish size; second, a “snowball” or viral sample, in which the survey was opened up to all clergy, music directors, and congregation members who wished to participate. Information about the survey was disseminated widely through articles and news releases on Episcopal News Service and through the Office of Public Affairs, through the Episcopal Communicators network, by members of the Commission contacting stakeholder groups directly, by e-mail to all clergy for whom the Church Pension Fund had an e-mail address on record, and through a dedicated page on the Office of Research’s area of the CPG website. Between the stratified random sample and the “snowball” sample, responses were received from 9,016 congregation members, 2,575 clergy, and 1,139 music directors, representing 3,060 congregations (roughly 40% of all parishes). Additionally, 55 bishops completed the dedicated bishops’ survey, and 102 seminarians completed the dedicated seminarians’ survey. In order to address specific populations of The Episcopal Church, the research team also conducted in-person, structured interviews. One portion of these interviews was conducted in focus groups with seminary faculty members at seminaries of The Episcopal Church. The research team also sought to study the unique cultures and musical experiences of worship in Province IX. Members of the research team visited a selection of Province IX dioceses (Puerto Rico, Ecuador Central, and the Dominican Republic). During these visits, team members conducted interviews with bishops and with clergy and music leaders of parishes in the dioceses, attended parish worship services, video-recorded the various musical styles experienced in different parishes, and gained perspective on the cultural climate of these dioceses in terms of musical tradition, worship, and the environment in which the Church ministers. A full version of the Hymnal Revision Feasibility Study report made by the research team to the Commission is available for download on the CPG website (https://www.cpg.org/redirects/reports-statistics-on-church-related-topics/), and the Commission commends it to all bishops and deputies, as it goes into a level of detail and analysis not possible in the brief summary given here. The table below summarizes the responses of congregation members, clergy, music directors, bishops, and seminarians to the principle question, “Do you think a new, revised version of the Hymnal is needed?” Averages are based on participants’ responses on a 1-to-5 scale: (1) Not at all, (2) Not very much, (3) Neutral, (4) Very much, (5) Completely. “Do you think a new, revised version of the Hymnal is needed?” Congregation Members Clergy Music Directors Bishops Seminarians Against 48.4% 35.7% 33.8% 37.6% 33.3% Neutral 27.2% 23.4% 22.3% 27.1% 18.5% In Favor 24.4% 40.9% 43.8% 35.4% 48.2% Average 2.6 3.1 3.1 2.9 3.3 163 Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music Respondents in the congregation member sample opposed hymnal revision by a ratio of nearly 2 to 1. And although clergy and music directors were more favorably disposed to revision, the average response for all of these categories falls below neutral (congregation members and bishops) or just slightly above neutral (clergy, music directors, and seminarians). As reported by congregation members, The Hymnal 1982 remains the medium of choice for worship music in The Episcopal Church. Over 95 percent of congregants report using The Hymnal 1982 at least once per week for worship. The preeminence of The Hymnal 1982 stands in contrast to the relatively low usage rates of the authorized supplements. Lift Every Voice and Sing II and Wonder, Love, and Praise are used at least once per month by around 30 percent of congregants, whereas El Himnario, My Heart Sings Out, Voices Found, and The Hymnal 1940 are rarely used. Frequency of Hymnal / supplement use, as reported by congregation members Less than once/month At least once/month At least once/week The Hymnal 1982 2.7% 1.7% 95.5% El Himnario 97.8% 0.7% 1.5% LEVAS II 70.1% 21.9% 7.9% My Heart Sings Out 98.7% 1.0% 0.4% Voices Found 97.1% 2.4% 0.4% Wonder, Love, & Praise 66.7% 27.1% 6.2% The Hymnal 1940 93.0% 2.5% 4.5% When asked to rate how their current hymnal or hymnal supplements satisfy their congregation’s needs on the 5-point scale, congregation members, clergy, and music directors responded in very similar terms. The most favored resource of all three groups is The Hymnal 1982, with a mean rating for all three samples of nearly 4. By and large, congregation members, clergy, and music directors all view hymnal supplements much less favorably in terms of the supplements’ ability to satisfy their congregations’ needs, as no supplement had a mean score higher than 3 in any sample. Satisfaction (means) with The Hymnal 1982 and supplements Congregation Members Clergy Music Directors The Hymnal 1982 4.00 3.92 4.03 El Himnario 1.96 1.63 1.59 LEVAS II 2.94 2.93 2.90 My Heart Sings Out 2.01 2.05 2.06 Voices Found 2.03 2.19 2.29 Wonder, Love, & Praise 2.98 2.98 3.00 The Hymnal 1940 3.03 2.16 2.73 It is important to note that the results described above reflect the responses of congregation members, clergy, and music directors in the domestic dioceses of The Episcopal Church. The experiences and needs of the congregations and dioceses in Province IX are radically different. Clergy and musicians in Province IX expressed clearly to the research interviewers that the currently available authorized musical resources of The Episcopal Church do not meet their needs in terms of worship style, theological and cultural context, and affordability. Clergy from all types of congregations wanted a resource that would combine the best of El Himnario, Latin American charismatic music, and the new music of the Pentecostal movement. The research team perceived a strong need and desire for new material to be developed and, most importantly, to be available at a cost that would make it realistically obtainable by congregations that serve the poorer members of those societies. It was clear that this work should begin immediately. The data from domestic dioceses of The Episcopal Church indicate that African Americans and Native Americans are more favorably disposed toward hymnal revision; over one-third of those who identified themselves in these groups favor a revised hymnal, while fewer than one-fourth of Whites/Caucasians and Asian/Pacific Islanders are supportive.