Music Ministry Transition

Redeemer East Side has a long history of valuing musical excellence and supporting the many gifted musicians in our city. Worship has always been central to our life together, and we continue to see music as a vital way we gather, pray, and respond to God’s grace.

This ministry year, we have begun a search for a new full-time Director of Worship. At Vision Night on Sep. 25, Dr. Crawford Stevener shared that one of our strategic priorities this ministry year is Worship Renewal, which includes prayerful discernment, careful listening, and thoughtful planning as we look toward the future of worship at Redeemer East Side.

There are several ways our congregation can participate in and support this process:

  • Oct. & Nov: Attend a Listening Session to share your perspective with church leadership about our search for a full-time music director

  • Nov: Take the anonymous congregational survey to capture a reflection of our congregation’s values and hopes for RES music

  • Ongoing: Prayer for applicants, for our leaders, and for our church community as we seek to navigate this change with wisdom, unity, peace, and grace.

Throughout this process, our desire is to communicate clearly and transparently, to listen well to one another, and to move forward graciously in a hopeful posture, trusting the Lord—our Good Shepherd—for His guidance and care of our church (Ps. 23:1-3).

On Feb. 17, Dr. Crawford Stevener announced via email that after an extensive and careful search, we have hired our new Director of Worship, Tim Nicholson. Tim brings a deep love for the church, extensive formal musical training, and decades of experience leading worship ministries through seasons of growth and transition. We look forward to welcoming Tim to our team this spring. Until this time, our worship services will continue as they have been to the best of our ability. When the initial search was announced, there were some unknown questions about the timing of a possible new hire and who would serve as our music ministry leaders during the interim period. We want to express my deepest gratitude to Mallory Inkles, Rachel Fogerty, Jessica Foster, Hyungjin Choi, and Ben Stevens, who have coordinated the music for worship services, as well as the many other musicians who have served our congregation with joyful excellence in our time of need.

Throughout this process, we have paid close attention to the input our congregation shared. Several themes emerged that helped to guide our process*:

  • Worship music that is contextual to the vibrancy and diversity of New York City

  • Excellent, thoughtfully curated musical worship

  • Christ-centered worship that shapes us spiritually and theologically.

  • Strong congregational participation in singing and worship

  • Majority of congregant survey participants prefer a blend of traditional hymns and modern songs

*feedback summarized from Listening Sessions and Congregational Survey

Thank you for praying with and for us as we continue in this journey of worship renewal. As this work continues, we aim to lead with care, transparency, and confidence that God will faithfully guide us in the months ahead.