Prelude: Don't you want to do better?

The Lent/Easter 2026 issue of Gathering is all about the Order of Worship, the improvements and tweaks you may have made, and how that applies to the elements of your bulletin. This topic had me reflecting on an experience I had several years ago. 

“Don’t you want to do better?” This was the phrase uttered by conductor Dr. Jonathan Griffiths when he addressed the massed choir that many of my choristers at the time participated in, as we prepared for our Carnegie Hall debut in New York City. This question was hurled out at a large amateur choir to encourage us to do our absolute best, but it struck me that this is a question for all musicians and indeed all volunteers and staff in the church to ask themselves on a regular basis. Don’t you want to do better? 

I’ve had lots of conversations over the years with church folk. Some are perplexed why I still need to practise, that perhaps I should know how to just play anything. Some are surprised that I would go to conferences and learning events, because they have this strange idea that I might know it all already. Nope! Many employees or volunteers in the church are lifelong learners. For me, engaging in learning is really important, because I will never “know it all.” There is always something to learn from my colleagues, from reading, from listening to concerts and recordings, from going to workshops and masterclasses, and from searching for new music. Admittedly, it shocks me when I find out that there are musicians out there who at some point stop “studying.” Don’t you want to do better? And here’s the epitome for me, in a church setting: Don’t you want to give your best to God and to the people that you serve? As staff or volunteers, doesn’t God deserve a 100 percent effort? 

“Don’t you want to do better?” applies to all elements of worship. Do you want everyone to be as prepared as they can be? How well do we prepare the ushers, readers, prayer leaders, church schoolteachers? Do you want the bulletin to look as logical, concise, and newcomer-friendly as possible? Are there several people who oversee worship services and the bulletin? A worship committee, staff members, a proofreader? How can we continually challenge ourselves to do better? 

Tammy-Jo Mortensen, Music Editor 

Photo by ClickerHappy - Pexels.com