Director of Music

Cornerstone, an Evangelical Free Church (cornerstoneefree.org) is a congregation of about 175 members in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Annandale, Virginia. The church is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America. Cornerstone is seeking a qualified Director of Music to plan, prepare and lead our church’s music ministry. The position is part-time, estimated at 15-20 hours per week.

Ministry Focus:

The primary focus of the director of music is to lead worship in Cornerstone’s Sunday morning worship service. The director of music plans for worship services, prepares the praise team to lead the Sunday morning service and directs the congregation in worship, singing and liturgy. The director of music demonstrates a mature balance between leadership of both the praise team and the congregation as well as high-level musical and artistic talents. The director of music exercises general oversight of Cornerstone’s music ministry. The director of music will lead voices and hearts in praise and worship to God in the church’s regular Sunday service and other gatherings.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and will exhibit an exemplary Christian walk, including the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
• Desire to facilitate true worship of voice, heart, spirit and that glorifies and praises God
• “Performance-level” musical abilities (high degree of musical talent, gifting and calling)
• Experience in leading Christian groups in worship and singing
• Strong vocal/singing skills (extremely high proficiency)
• Prefer the candidate have strong instrumental skills on piano or guitar
• Prefer the candidate have formal biblical and/or theological training
• Experience in preparing music for congregational singing
• Appreciation of, and willingness to, incorporate various musical styles of the historic and contemporary church, including hymns and modern praise music
• Strong leadership and organizational skills
• Strong spiritual maturity based on solid theological background
• Ability, upon request, to lead various aspects the worship service (e.g., prayers,
  reading of scripture and other aspects of worship)
• If not a member of Cornerstone, become a member, in full accord with the statement of faith in Article II of the constitution of this church
• Accept and work within the organizational structure outlined in Cornerstone’s constitution and bylaws

Areas of Responsibility:

• Lead the Cornerstone congregation in the Sunday morning worship service with the praise team
• Prepare the praise and audio/video teams for the Sunday morning worship service by leading rehearsals during the week and on Sunday mornings
  Schedule singers and musicians for the praise team
• In coordination with the lead pastor, plan the weekly music selection for the worship service
• Facilitate music ministry within the Cornerstone congregation by identifying and nurturing musical gifts and talent within the church
• Recruit, develop, encourage and facilitate participation from the congregation in Cornerstone's music ministry, including vocal, instrumental performance and technical support
• Oversee preparation of slides for the Sunday morning service
• Schedule special offertory music to be played during the collection of Sunday offerings, including individual singers, instrumentalists and small groups, possibly accompanying others, as needed
• Plan special music for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and other holidays with congregational gatherings
• Coordinate with the deacon of worship to provide leadership necessary for music, technical and audio/video ministries
• Coordinate with choir director for rehearsals and worship music schedule
  Report regularly to the elders and lead pastor regarding the ministry of music in the church

Cornerstone’s Current Music and Worship Style:

The lead pastor collaborates with the director of music to determine set lists and order of worship. Songs are often chosen to support the themes of the sermon. Theological soundness of content is critical.

The praise team currently rehearses on a weeknight and, again, on Sunday mornings before the Sunday School hour (approximately 8:30 – 9:00). The church currently has one Sunday morning worship service that starts at 10:45.

Cornerstone’s present worship style blends traditional hymns and contemporary music. Volunteer musicians rotate with the following positions each Sunday: 2 vocalists, 1 grand piano, 1 amplified acoustic guitar, 1 electric bass guitar, 1 drummer (djembe or set) and secondary percussionist (tambourine, egg) and 1 organist who accompanies the piano for traditional hymns.

The praise team leads four to five songs per service. The songs are generally not all in one set but are interspersed through the liturgy (i.e., between prayers and scripture readings). Cornerstone’s current musical selection includes classic hymns and popular worship songs from the last 2-3 decades. “Getty Radio” on Spotify or a similar music platform provides a good example of many selections currently done by the praise team.

In addition to the praise team, Cornerstone has historically had an adult choir, led by a volunteer choir director. The choir performs once or twice per month during the traditional academic school year. The choir also renders longer, more complicated pieces for Christmas Eve or other special occasions. Finally, Cornerstone has historically also had a handbell choir, led by a volunteer. In the past, this handbell choir performed selections during the worship service. It has not performed for several years, however.

Interested applicants should submit the following:

• Brief resume addressing their experience.
• Short statement addressing these questions:
• What is your understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how did you come to hear the gospel and receive Christ as your Lord and Savior?
• What do you think leading worship in church is about?
• (Optional, but preferred) A video of the candidate playing, singing and leading worship

Anyone interested should contact us search@cornerstoneefree.org. If you have questions, please feel free to contact our lead pastor, John Biegel, directly at jbiegel@cornerstoneefree.org.