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Job Announcement – Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco

www.mccsf.org

Title: Director of Music Ministries
Category: ¾ Time, exempt position with holidays and vacation time accrued
Reports to: Sr. Pastor
Compensation: Commensurate with experience and competitive with similar positions
To apply: Submit a cover letter and resume by August 22, 2011 to wendytob@hotmail.com with a copy to richardrosser@yahoo.com

About MCC-SF

The Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco (“MCC-SF”) is a house of prayer for all people and a home for queer spirituality.  Although grounded in the Christian tradition, the Church’s members are drawn from all faith traditions (and from people of no faith tradition).  The Church holds three primary weekly services (Sundays at 11AM, a progressive worship service with liturgy drawn mainly from Protestant and Catholic traditions and, at 7PM, a high-energy worship service featuring contemporary Christian, lnterfaith and Gospel style music; and Wednesday at 7PM, a candlelight service drawing upon the Taizé movement, with contemplative congregational singing, meditation and prayer).  Current total weekly attendance among the three primary services averages about 200 persons.  The congregations are diverse, urban and predominantly GLBTQI/gender-variant in nature, although the church explicitly welcomes persons of all backgrounds and those with or without faith traditions.  Because of the historical discrimination against, and the emotional and spiritual harm to, GLBTQI persons in society in general, and in the Christian church in particular, MCC-SF is a refuge for those seeking spiritual solace and regular spiritual practice that is affirming of each person’s individuality and identity.

 

Summary of Available Position

The Director of Music Ministries (“music minister”) is an integral part of MCC-SF’s mission, and the individual selected to fill the position will oversee the entire music ministry program.  The music minister must support and promote a congregational worship life that communicates the gospel of a progressive Christianity that is lively, relevant and transformational, where the spirit is present in a variety of ways drawn from diverse faith traditions.  To facilitate worship experiences that will be meaningful to a diverse urban congregation, as well as ensure a high standard of excellence, the music minister must be able to work with all forms and styles of worship and music, including but not limited to:

 

• traditional/liturgical
• contemporary/global
• choral
• gospel
• band and orchestra leadership

 

The choir for the 7PM Sunday service – the Worship and Praise Team – has been registered as a member of GALA Choruses, an international organization of choral groups drawn primarily from North American GLBTQI communities (www.galachoruses.org).  The music minister must be familiar with GALA Choruses, its vision and mission, and be prepared to support the church’s involvement in the organization.

The music minster must possess sufficient knowledge in music technology (video and sound) to present an effective, worshipful experience, given today’s expectations.  Additionally, the music minister must:

• collaborate with the pastors in worship/sermon planning
• possess effective leadership and people skills, particularly in dealing with a highly diverse, urban, and predominantly GLBTQI population
• ensure that musicians, singers, and choirs are properly engaged and developing
• develop other leaders to assist in accomplishing ministry tasks
• assess the abilities of singers and other musicians, making necessary changes to the choir or band
• serve on the worship planning team
• offer creative ideas to integrate a variety of liturgical elements (music, fine arts, drama) into worship
• assimilate fully into the ministerial staff as a team member
• coordinate the execution of all musical elements of public worship
• serve as primary keyboardist for worship services
• serve as primary choral and orchestral director and band leader
• schedule other accompanists and musicians
• direct special elements of worship, such as plays and musicals
• enlist, equip, supervise, and encourage gifted volunteer musical talent and leadership both from within the congregation and from the wider community
• serve as a resource for those planning weddings, memorials/funerals; schedule musicians/keyboardists as appropriate for these services
• prepare, submit, and monitor the music ministry budget
• organize and participate in fund-raising efforts
• ensure that the congregation and community are informed of musical and worship events; serve as a contact person for information sharing
• supervise the use of musical and technological equipment to ensure its proper use and maintenance

 

Required Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Extensive training and background in creating and presenting music for worship (Bachelor’s Degree in Music or its equivalent a plus; advanced degree preferred)
• Knowledge of, experience with, and proficiency in:
• Playing piano (although we currently have no organ, we would like to obtain one, and a candidate with well-developed organ-playing skills will be welcomed)
• Conducting choral and orchestral groups and leading a band
• Using technology in a worship setting
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong administrative skills
• Proven team leadership and relational skills

 

Personal Characteristics and Physical Requirements

Successful candidates for the position must:

• Have a heart for ministry, a love of God (in her/his understanding of God), and a genuine delight in working with people
• Be committed to MCC-SF’s Vision and Mission Statement (see http://www.mccsf.org/visionandmission.html)
• Understand how to lead a ministry, in addition to performing music
• Embrace a philosophy of ministry compatible with present staff
• Be flexible and open to varying styles of worship as well as sensitive to when to employ each style, as the varying styles may evolve over time
• Possess a high degree of personal motivation
• Have a profound understanding of the need for, and ability to create and employ, inclusive language in all worship presentations
• Be comfortable with a wide range of GLBTQI persons and their wide variety of personal expressions
• Possess the knowledge and ability to arrange music quickly and effectively (demonstrated skill in original composition a plus)
• Be skilled in the use of FINALE or other music software
• Have background or training in the production of concerts, plays or other performance modalities
• Demonstrate sensitivity to the ambient environmental concerns of congregants (hygiene, use of scents, etc.)

 

Further Information

MCC-SF is currently being led by a Provisional Pastor, the Rev. Dr. William H. Knight.  The congregation has elected a Pastoral Search Committee that hopes to call a new Senior Pastor by not later than June of 2012.  Additional information of use to potential candidates for the position of Director of Music Ministries may, therefore, be found on the MCC-SF web page devoted to the Pastoral Search (http://www.mccsf.org/psc.html)

Further inquiries regarding the position, the ministries of MCC-SF, and the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (http://mccchurch.org/) may be directed to Rev. Knight (revdrwhk@mccsf.org) or to one of the co-chairs of the Music Director Search Committee, Wendy Tobias (wendytob@hotmail.com) or Rick Rosser (richardrosser@yahoo.com)

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