Tom Booth Interview

Today we have a very special guest to the Music Ministry Tips community!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is an honor and a pleasure to introduce Tom Booth.

I will most certainly fall short in attempting to describe Tom.  He is an artist, a musician, a husband, a father, but above all, a man of God.  He has been nominated for two Unity Awards, for Rock Album of the Year, “Cry the Gospel” and he won for Rock Song of the Year for – “Taste of Heaven.”
 
I could go on and on, so I think I will!  Tom has now composed three Number 1 hits on the Contemporary Christian Music charts: “I Will Choose Christ” (composed with and recorded by Kathy Troccoli) which also received a Dove Award nomination from the Gospel Music Association, “Nothing is Beyond You” written with friends Mitch McVicker and the incredible Rich Mullins (recorded by Amy Grant), and “Love Has a Name” (composed with and recorded by Kathy Troccoli).  He has written and performed songs for both Mother Teresa (including "Prayer of Abandonment") and Pope John Paul II.



These accolades are indeed stunning, but more importantly for this blog community is Tom's vast experience in music ministry.  Tom has led numerous music groups, voice ensembles for over 20 years at my last count.  And this experience spans nearly every spiritual event I can contemplate this side of heaven, from church to prayer groups to prayerful concerts. 

Lastly on a more personal note, to say that Tom has been an influence in my life would be an incredible understatement.  Along with the Lord, he has been a guiding light for my music and music ministry.  I have been listening, playing, and praying Tom's music for years.  A few of his pieces that are my absolute favorites are I Will Choose Christ, Go Ye Out, Cry the Gospel, Find Us Ready, and Prepare the Way.  All of these pieces speak to a prayerful heart and a tremendous soul. 

Now I thought I would ask our special guest his thoughts today on a couple of tough topics that are significant issues we face in music ministry.

Interview

Music Ministry Tips: Here is a topic that many struggle with in today's music ministries: music quality.  Today’s music has amazing quality compared to only a few decades ago.  It is stunningly produced and meticulously written and performed.  Now with music outlets such as iTunes, and mobile music devices like iPods, this music is readily available and convenient everywhere.  It is unavoidable that our music is compared to these well produced pieces.  

Given your vast music ministry experience and recording industry experience, how do you approach music quality with your choir and music groups?


Tom Booth:  The industry may have perfected recording, but we have far from perfected worship by any means. Recording is a science. Engineers are behind the production of recorded music. Humans who are involved in the worship of God will always be imperfect and make mistakes.

I led music ensembles for almost three decades, as a young man and throughout my twenties, thirties, and forties. There was a time that I really worked towards some sort of perfection. Now I would rather think that an approach that is musically sound, but genuine, friendly and well, human, is fine. Mistakes are a part of the human experience. I don’t expect to hear mistakes at the symphony, but during worship a mistake doesn’t betray the reason I am there. I need to worship God, hear the Word, gather with my faith family, etc…

Quality music for me means well chosen regarding lyric, theology, variety of style and “performed” in a way that the community can sing and participate.

The question is this: did we prayerfully choose this music, rehearse this music and perform this music?




MMT: Furthering this topic, what are some things that you do with your music groups to ensure quality worship, or to promote oneness with the Lord? 


TB: If someone is involved in music ministry, I assume they are motivated by a sense of service, worship and a gift of musicality. When any of these elements are missing is when we run into trouble. Someone may have a gift of music, but possess no real desire to worship and serve others. That can lead to the American Idol syndrome. It’s great that this person wants to sing and perform, but that is not what we are about with worship. Worship is about serving the person next to you – helping others to discover the divine within.

Jesus said the “kingdom of heaven is within (Luke). We need to not only worship with hands raised and voices loud, but in silence and in adoration. God came to dwell with and in us. Our music needs to lead out to the God in the heavens, but also IN to the indwelling Christ.

(Part II of the interview will follow in a future post.  The topic planned is Youth in Music Ministry.)
Images courtesy www.tomboothmusic.com

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