Welcome to Brantford Press.com, the website of worship leader, pastor, and musician Randall Wilkens. The name "Brantford" comes from the rural community in North Central Kansas where Randall grew up, and the Brantford Covenant Church where his early musical endeavors were encouraged and nurtured. Brantford Press started as a music typography business; now it is simply the imprint for Randall's original arrangements and church music resources.
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| Dr. Randall Wilkens |
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ABOUT RANDALL - Randall Wilkens received a D.M.A. in Organ Performance from the University of Kansas in 1990, where he studied with James Higdon. His other teachers have included Mary Ellen Sutton, Carl Staplin, and Guy Bovet, organ; David Harris and Susan Marchant, harpsichord. As a keyboard artist, Randall specializes in Baroque music and traditional hymnody, but his musical interests are not limited to those types of music. For over 20 years he has been involved in the contemporary worship movement, treasuring the freedom of the Spirit that has been evident there. In recent years Randall has been able to bring these two diverse sides of his musical personality together in his work as a church musician, first as Worship and Music Pastor at the Evangelical Covenant Church in Lafayette, Indiana, and now as Associate Pastor of Worship and the Arts at Bethany Covenant Church in Mount Vernon, Washington. Randall also serves on the Evangelical Covenant denomination's Commission on Church Music and Worship, and has been the editor of their online newsletter. Randall shares an understanding of music with his wife Bonnie, who is a professional violinist, music instructor, and tea aficionado. Randall and Bonnie have two children, daughter Joanna and son Malik.
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| Family Shot from Last Spring |
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NEWS UPDATE (10/22/08) It's been quite a year! In April I had a minor stroke, which affected my balance, vision, and sensation on my right side. I was off work for three weeks and had to miss my 3-year Clifton (Kansas) High School reunion. It could have been much worse, but by God's grace and with the help of my wife and family, physical therapy, and many prayers, by June I was back to doing most everything I was used to doing. We took a family vacation to the Midwest, where we were able to visit Bonnie's family and my sister and her husband in Kansas. We drove from Kansas to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where we played for my worship intern Ryan Starr's wedding, and on the way there and back enjoyed visits with our friends in Indiana. We took another short family vacation to Olympic National Park in Washington early in September. What a beautiful place! Both Joanna and Malik are homeschooling this year, and with teaching and playing Bonnie is incredibly busy! My work on ordination in the Covenant denomination, along with preparations for our annual Christmas Program (The Many Moods of Christmas) and a Perspectives on the World Christian Movement class I am coordinating in the spring keep me busy too! Lots of opportunities to bring glory to God!
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A MESSAGE FROM RANDALL - Jesus told us in John 4:23-24 that our Heavenly Father seeks those who worship in spirit and in truth. Wrapped up in that little phrase is a powerful two-fold approach to life. On one hand, "spirit" implies a life of the heart and of the emotions and of the supernatural enabling that ultimately originates from the Spirit of God. On the other hand, "truth" reminds us of the need for correct theological understanding and commitment to the reality of God as He is revealed in scripture. One without the other is out of balance and misses the mark of God's best. The more that I can live out both of those dynamics in my worship and in my whole life, the more I will be the kind of person the Lord wants me to be. That's my desire! That's my purpose for living, to be the kind of worshiper the God of the Universe seeks, and to encourage others to be that as well. May God the Father bless you as you also follow His call to worship in spirit and in truth!
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"The Organ in 21st Century Worship"
For centuries the organ has been the instrument of the church. It has accompanied choirs, led congregational singing, and inspired such masters as Johann Sebastian Bach. Throughout the reformation and other upheavals of church history, the organ’s role in worship has remained steadfast.
But in recent decades the organ's place within the western church has been challenged. As technology, media, and popular style have all gained increasing acceptance within worship, some have viewed the organ as quaintly obsolete. Even fine pipe organs have been dismantled in favor of worship bands, amplified sound, and styles akin to popular music.
Given such changes as these, we are forced to ask, "Is there a future for the organ in 21st century worship?" It is my conviction that the organ does have a future—a rich and full one—as long as we are willing to put aside some of our assumptions and open our hearts to the full range of expressive gifts available to worshipers today.
A Traditional Expression
Within the worship service, the organ has always done a number of things well. The organ's range, richness of sound, and variety of color enables it to accompany both the quietest meditation and the most enthusiastic congregational singing—all without amplification. While only a small percentage of sounds within a typical electronic synthesizer might actually be useful in worship, every sound on a well-designed classical organ is useful in multiple ways.
And even within churches that have embraced contemporary expressions of worship, there is no reason the organ cannot continue to do what it has done well--alongside the newer expressions. This is not just for the sake of older worshipers, but also for younger generations who are looking for a much-needed connection with the historic church. I've talked with a number of people in their 20's and 30's who have told me that one thing they really enjoy in our worship services is the hymns we play on the organ!
Indeed, there are few things as awe-inspiring as a congregational hymn ably accompanied by a fine organ! Notice that I said "ably." An artistic and worship-minded organist will choose tempos and registrations that interact with the poetic text and through phrasing will assist the congregation with breathing, punctuation, and thought. Sadly, organists who have failed to show such sensitivity to worship and worshipers have appropriately drawn the criticisms we sometimes hear—that the organ is variously funereal, sappy, or intolerably loud. But where organists are committed to playing with both musical artistry and spiritual sensitivity, there is no reason the organ cannot continue its inimitable contribution to worship.
A New Expression
There are many on both sides of the worship style debate who deny that the organ can or should do anything new in worship. To some, the organ has little value other than its potential ability to emulate Hammond B3 sounds or access electronic synthesizer patches through MIDI. To others, such "degrading" uses of the organ would be artistic travesty.
But I would like to suggest a largely unexplored possibility. Why not use classical organ sounds—diapasons, flutes, strings, reeds—in contemporary worship? This may sound crazy, but from my own experience a little creativity with registration can yield some amazing results! A chorus of quiet flute and string stops can replace a synthesizer string "pad" on quieter songs. A well-chosen ensemble of diapasons has the clarity to carry countermelodies of a song like "God of Wonders." If you're missing an electric guitarist on a song like David Crowder's "O Praise Him," organ reeds combined with the principal chorus can provide similar power. And a gradual crescendo to full organ really enhances a worship anthem like "Shout to the Lord."
Just as with traditional hymns, stylistic accuracy should be a goal for organists playing contemporary music. When playing with a worship band it will often be best to simply hold chords—even just one or two notes—to avoid clutter and conflict with the other instruments. If the worship band has a bass player, it will be very important to avoid 16' (octave lower) stops, even in the pedal. And organists should also gain an understanding of concepts like "power chords" (open 5ths with the 3rd of the chord omitted) and "groove."
Whether used in traditional or contemporary expressions, the organ's future in worship will depend on our willingness to lay aside agendas, to value each other within the body of Christ, and especially to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. He can guide us into a far richer expression of worship than our finite minds can imagine. If we are open to this kind of journey, the organ will hopefully retain its place in worship for many years to come.
S.D.G.
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"Like Being in Heaven"
Awhile back I had the privilege of being a part of the Worship Team for a national pastors' conference. I was one of nine musicians involved, and we were a diverse group. Included in our number was an African-American vocalist, a pianist who was a convert from Islam, two Latino guitarists, a bass player who was a native of Sierra Leone, a Chinese-American keyboard player, and three Caucasians. And we were just as diverse in our musical styles—everything from classical to Latin to gospel to alternative, and beyond.
At first I'm not sure that they knew what to do with me, a classical organist who said he liked contemporary worship and wanted to play along on some of the other songs. Where some of the members of our group knew what it was like to be alienated because of color, I struggled with a cultural barrier of my own—that invisible but ever-so-real dividing wall between "traditional" and "contemporary" worship.
But it became apparent as we all worked together that God is all about breaking down barriers! He took these nine very different individuals and made us a true worshiping community. Now, I thought I knew what it meant to be a worshiping community. I had just given a sermon on that topic! But what I experienced with this group of people was like nothing I had experienced before.
The members of this community exhibited obvious, genuine respect for each other's gifts and cultural backgrounds. We took the time to listen to each other and try each other's suggestions. And we had the attitude that it wasn't about what any of us individually wanted, but simply desired to bring glory to God and be the true voice of the congregation we were leading.
I say "we" not because these attitudes had been great virtues of mine! My inclination would have been to say we don't have time to try different approaches; let's just stick to the original plan. And I might have also complained about things that weren't the way I liked them. But through the example of our leader Matt Lundgren and the other members of the group, I discovered—as if for the first time in my life—what joy there is in putting the preferences of others above my own. It was that COMPLETE joy Paul talks about in Philippians 2:2-5—joy that stems from an attitude of humbleness, like-mindedness, and Christlikeness.
That's the attitude I truly experienced from the other members of the team, and it helped foster that attitude in me as well. And with that attitude in place, in the presence of the Lord, an amazing thing happened. Cultural barriers were no longer obstacles, but brilliant jewels in a multi-colored garment of praise. I even felt as if that big iron curtain of the worship wars—that invisible wall between the organ and the worship band—was just gone! We worshiped as a unified community with one heart for God. Words are inadequate to describe exactly what that experience was like. The best way I can explain it is: “It was like being in heaven.”
What does this have to do with us as day-to-day worshipers? A lot, I believe. Think about the possibilities that open up when we are that kind of worshiping community. Think about how it would be if we all really believed that what we do on Sunday morning is so not about what we want—but that it is about what brings glory to the Lord and blesses others, even when (maybe especially when) it's not our preference! And think about what it means to accept and be accepted, and how our churches could be radically different if that acceptance motivated us to step out more from the privacy of our lives in the way we interact with and care for those who surround us in the pews on Sunday morning.
Are we willing to go there? Are we willing to grow outside our comfort zone, our preferences, our habits, to become that worshiping community? If we are, it will transform our churches and our lives!
And then we might just find ourselves uttering with breathless awe after our Sunday worship services: "It was like being in heaven!"
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