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7/3/97 Church Musician ends 47 years; new leaders’ magazine unveiled

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GLORIETA, N.M. (BP)–“The Church Musician” has ceased publication after 47 years as the leadership magazine for Southern Baptist musicians and a readership of musicians from other denominations.
A new monthly magazine, “Church Musician Today,” begins publication with the September 1997 issue, which was unveiled at Church Music Leadership conferences at Ridgecrest (N.C.) and Glorieta (N.M.) Baptist Conference centers.
The Church Musician was begun in 1950 as a monthly resource and became a quarterly magazine in 1991. Editor Jere Adams of the Baptist Sunday School Board’s music ministries department said the magazine, which had a circulation of 9,000 copies each issue, dealt primarily with church music philosophy.
The new publication, Adams said, “will be a forum for ideas on music and worship, music education, music administration, worship planning, hymnody trends and worship trends.”
Other features will include interviews with prominent music personalities, drama, articles on important music issues, music technology and music and book reviews.
An advisory team of 10 musicians in church, denominational and academic positions contributed content input for the first issues, and a second group of advisors has been enlisted to help with issues beginning in 1998.
Adams said the changing makeup of the advisory board will “help us better understand our readers’ needs for church music ministry.”
The premiere issue of Church Musician Today features composer and concert artist Twila Paris and the contemporary Christian group TRUTH. A minister of music recounts his pilgrimage from traditionalist to praise worshiper, a forum of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary faculty explores the future of church music and BSSB LeaderCare consultant Neil Knierim discusses forced termination and redemption. Regular features will include a drama, ministry advice, alternative music listening for youth, technology, “Counterpoint” comments from cyberspace and columns by BSSB music consultants on a range of timely subjects. “The Lighter Side,” a popular feature of The Church Musician, will be included in the new magazine.
Personalities to be featured in subsequent issues include contemporary artist Steven Curtis Chapman, father and son musicians Steve Taylor and Steven V. Taylor, music evangelist George Beverly Shea, Paul Langford of GLAD, Chick-fil-A vice president and church musician Dan Cathy and songwriters Dick and Melodie Tunney.
Adams said the monthly publication of Church Musician Today will provide readers one-third more material than the content of the quarterly version of The Church Musician. In addition, more timely material will be provided electronically by some contributors and added to the publication just before printing deadline.
Church Musician Today is item 179 on the Sunday School Board’s dated literature order form.