Stanley R. McDaniel 
Servanthood of Song 
Music, Ministry, and the Church in the United States

Servanthood of Song is a history of American church music from the colonial era to the present. Its focus is on the institutional and societal pressures that have shaped church song and have led us directly to where we are today. The gulf which separates advocates of traditional and contemporary worship–Black and White, Protestant and Catholic–is not new. History repeatedly shows us that ministry, to be effective, must meet the needs of the entire worshiping community, not just one segment, age group, or class. Servanthood of Song provides a historical context for trends in contemporary worship in the United States and suggests that the current polemical divisions between advocates of contemporary and traditional, classically oriented church music are both unnecessary and counterproductive. It also draws from history to show that, to be the powerful component of worship it can be, music–whatever the genre–must be viewed as a ministry with training appropriate to that. Servanthood of Song provides a critical resource for anyone considering a career in either musical or pastoral ministries in the American church as well as all who care passionately about vital and authentic worship for the church of today.

Om författaren

Dr. Stan Mc Daniel is a graduate of Shenandoah Conservatory with a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Sacred Music from the University of Southern California where he graduated with honors. His 47-year career as a church musician included service to churches in Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, California, and Washington State. He is Artistic Director Emeritus of Chorale Coeur d’Alene in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and was founder/director of the Westminster Chamber Orchestra in Spokane. Stan served for seven years as an adjunct professor of sacred music at East Carolina University teaching courses in sacred music, liturgy, and choral literature. His writings on subjects related to sacred music have appeared in various professional journals, and he is a regular contributor to the Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians.