Music Director/Worship Leader
United Church in Walpole
Walpole, MA, a member congregation of the United Church of Christ
Salary $32,000 - $40,000 per year, depending on experience

Type Exempt, part-time (20 hours per week)

Education Bachelor’s degree (graduate degree or musical certifications preferred)

Time Off 4 weeks paid vacation per year, plus continuing education time and funds

Flexibility Flexible Schedule. Accommodating workplace. Only firm time requirements are worship times and mutually agreed upon rehearsal times.

Reports to Pastor

Who we are: Warm. Welcoming. Open and adaptable. Theologically progressive and LGBTQia+ open and affirming. Lovers of great music - from traditional hymns to secular genres to newer Christian music. We believe all kinds of music can be used to bring people closer to God.

Who you are: Energetic. Enthusiastic. Creative. Collaborative. Spiritual and attuned to the power of music in worship to heal, free, challenge, and transform. A worship leader. Someone who cherishes the old hymns and also loves to share new music and ideas. 

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We are at an exciting crossroads! Our congregation has just completed an exciting $4+ Million renovation of our historic building, including expanding the chancel platform in our sanctuary to showcase our 1998 Casavant Frères Opus 3766 organ and reconstructed 1926 Baldwin grand piano. We’re like the Carnegie Hall of Walpole now! We can’t wait to take advantage of our new space and the energy it is bringing our community. We want to bring our music program to the next level to match the moment. That’s where you come in!

We’re seeking a Music Director/Worship Leader who can take our music program and make it shine! We’re including the co-title “Worship Leader” because we recognize that the heart and soul of worship is music. Use your music to lead us to moments of joy, weeping, praise, and quiet prayer and meditation. Collaborate with our pastor and fellow staff members to shape spiritual experiences. Every worship service is a spiritual and emotional journey. You are the artist shaping that journey with the leadership of our pastor.

You’ll be joining a dynamic staff team, headed by our energetic and visionary pastor, who LOVES music and is ready to sing the alto line anytime and anyplace. Our pastor and staff members share a commitment to excellence, planning worship series collaboratively and thematically far in advance. By being thoughtful and imaginative, they seek to keep worship engaging and fresh while holding on to the spiritual comfort of tradition.

Our people are our heart and soul: Inclusivity and community are core to who we are. And our church has become more diverse in the past decade. Weave together the diverse voices and musical talents of our community to help our folks dig deep and discover gifts they didn’t even know they had. We’re ready for your creativity!

Play your instrument “wicked good” and hire to fill in the musical gaps as needed. If you can play the organ like Bach - fantastic. If your primary instrument is guitar, or voice, or something else - fantastic. A proficiency at piano is required, beyond which we would be looking for you to hire a pianist/organist.

Essential Functions:

• Provide energetic and creative musical direction at regularly scheduled worship services as well as occasional special services. We currently have one Sunday worship service at 10:00 a.m.

• Plan and select worship music that relates thematically to the worship service and matches the moment in the worship experience. Support clergy in choosing hymns, striving for a repertoire that balances familiarity and variety.

• Lead the church’s choir and ensembles, providing the necessary tools, rehearsal time, teaching, and inspiration to ensure the members are prepared to provide a confident performance they can feel proud of.

• Share a joy for music with the entire congregation. Inspire participation in the church’s musical program by building rapport within the congregation and through other creative, recruitment-type events.

• Provide strong administrative leadership to the music program: recruit and supervise all music program staff, volunteers, and guest musicians; manage the department budget; arrange for substitute musicians as needed; oversee the music library; ensure appropriate licenses are obtained and copyright laws followed; oversee maintenance of church instruments; assist with audio equipment.

Other Responsibilities:

• Participate in staff meetings and other relevant church planning meetings

• Provide music for weddings and funerals within the church, when requested and if available, with payment according to church fee schedule. Or arrange such provision by hiring outside musicians.

• Network in the community and with other musicians to develop and share expertise, ideas, and best practices as well as bring in new musical talent as guest musicians

• Other assigned tasks, as needed

To Apply:

Please send a cover letter and resume to musicsearch@unitedwalpole.org, along with video recordings of yourself:

• Playing a piece of music appropriate for a church prelude or postlude

• Accompanying one congregational hymn

• Conducting one choral anthem

In accordance with federal and state laws, and as an expression of our Christian commitment to inclusivity, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or age. We encourage candidates from historically underrepresented groups to apply.

Location: United Church in Walpole

Contact: Anna Flowers

Address: 30 Common Street Walpole MA 02081

Phone: 7817892510

Email: Click to email

Website: www.unitedwalpole.org

Attached file(s): music director_worship leader job ad - final.pdf