Church Steel Guitar

Delbert Barker Sr · Post by **Delbert Barker Sr** » 9 Jul 2002 7:26 am

Since I have been playing steel in our congregation, I have to play every service or the congregation gets upset, so does the pastor. I enjoy playing with the other musicians in the church. In the past year our congregation has started to grow to where we are now getting ready to build a new church

P Perry · Post by **P Perry** » 9 Jul 2002 12:54 pm

Delbert it is good to hear from you on the forum. I haven't spoken to you since Chubby's last show in Middletown. Welcome aboard. My church has also just broken ground on a new church in Lebanon, OH. I wish I could be at my church more often but usually I am playing at other churches. once again welcome.

Joey Gaskins · Post by **Joey Gaskins** » 9 Jul 2002 4:34 pm

It's good to hear of others that play their steels in church. I've had many compliments on the sound. I switch from playing a Gretsch on lead to a Carter on steel depending what we are playing. We also are planning on building a bigger church as we are growing constantly.

Randy Pettit · Post by **Randy Pettit** » 9 Jul 2002 5:33 pm

Correlation: More steel guitar = Church growth.

Reggie Duncan · Post by **Reggie Duncan** » 9 Jul 2002 9:28 pm

A good music program does attract people. Steel guitar makes a good music program even better!

Kevin Mincke · Post by **Kevin Mincke** » 10 Jul 2002 6:10 am

I play pedal steel & mandolin (when my work schedule allows) on our worship team at www.bereanbaptist.com. It is a large congregation church with both traditional and contemporary music programs/services. We also have just completed our first phase of adding on and will began the 2nd phase in a couple years. The congregation seems to appreciate the steel guitar given te compliments![This message was edited by Kevin Mincke on 10 July 2002 at 07:12 AM.][This message was edited by Kevin Mincke on 10 July 2002 at 09:12 AM.]

Roger Mullennex · Post by **Roger Mullennex** » 10 Jul 2002 6:31 am

We have two steel players in our church.We are a musical church we have seven different groups.GOD loves music and I love GOD.

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Steelin' For Jesus

Frank Estes · Post by **Frank Estes** » 10 Jul 2002 6:33 am

I play steel and lead guitar at our Assembly of God church in Hartselle, AL. My wife grew up in Franklin, OH and we were there this past weekend visiting her family. I was born in Dalton, GA, but grew up in Kettering, OH. I am very happy to be living in South, where I belong.

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Frank Estes - 1978 Emmons D-10 8+6 #2441D

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 10 Jul 2002 8:03 am

Randy, I think you hit the nail on the head. When I started playing steel at our Church about 5 years ago, we were running around 350 on Sunday morning and had just moved into a new Church, now we're running around 600 and the Church is full. We're looking for land to build a new Church. We have a great group of musicians, and play lots of different styles of music. Here's our website. click here

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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording

Kenneth Kotsay · Post by **Kenneth Kotsay** » 11 Jul 2002 2:59 pm

What hymns & songs do you guys play in church, do you get to solo on them, do you use rhythm tracks
KEN

Delbert Barker Sr · Post by **Delbert Barker Sr** » 11 Jul 2002 5:40 pm

I play a lot of Southern Gospel and also play on congregational songs. Some of the singers will give the steel guitar a break, usually just a turnaround

Pat Coyne · Post by **Pat Coyne** » 16 Jul 2002 4:12 am

We are blessed at our church to have 3 full time steel guitarists! Joan and John Cox and Doug Jernigan....if you're ever in the Nashville area, come on up to White House to Trinity Fellowship, we would really enjoy meeting you!

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"basso profundo"

Jon Miller · Post by **Jon Miller** » 17 Jul 2002 4:37 pm

You folks should be so lucky! I have been playing in our Praise Band for nearly eight years (Bass, Rythm, Drums). But they just won't let the steel in...maybe on a rare occasion. I CAN'T be THAT bad....don't answer that!

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Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 18 Jul 2002 7:32 am

We play a pretty wide variety of music, mostly newer style praise songs. I play some C6th on the more upbeat songs, and E9th on the slower stuff. Our guitar player is primarily a blues style player and writes a lot of blues and rock and roll flavored songs. He occasionally has me play a break when he sings a solo, but the rest is just backup and fills. On some of our songs, I even use a distortion patch in my Digitech 2112 for a dirty slide guitar sound. I have some board tapes of our praise band and singers that I could transfer to CD if any of you guys would like to hear the type music we play. Send me your address and I'll send you a copy. There are a few clinkers, but I think we sound pretty good.

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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording
[This message was edited by Darvin Willhoite on 18 July 2002 at 10:11 AM.]

Jason Stillwell · Post by **Jason Stillwell** » 18 Jul 2002 10:48 am

As I stated on <a href=http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML ... .html>this similar thread</a>, I don't find any exmples in the New Testament where God authorizes us to worship him with musical instruments. Instead, we are told to sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord (Eph. 5:19). Please see my <a href=http://www.geocities.com/soper_1/page2.html>article</a> I've written on this subject. Feel free to email me personally with your comments.

Reggie Duncan · Post by **Reggie Duncan** » 18 Jul 2002 11:49 am

What about singing aloud in church, Jason?

Randy Pettit · Post by **Randy Pettit** » 18 Jul 2002 11:58 am

Jason, it’s a well-written article, but unfortunately, none of the example New Testament verses you cite are in the context of worship. Does the New Testament authorize us to use air-conditioning, microphones or loudspeakers in worship?

Col 3:16 – Beginning in v. 12, Paul gives the Colossians a long list of ways to “put on the new self”, continuing through v. 17 with the summation, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”(NASB) Worship is not the theme in these verses.
Eph 5:19 – Again, it is necessary to read the verses immediately preceding and following this verse to understand the context. Paul is encouraging us to not get drunk, but be filled with Spirit of God. Not be foolish, but understand the will of God. Again, this is day-to-day living encouragement rather than the worship experience.
James 5:13 – James give a wide range of exhortations in v. 7-20, among those, suffering patience, and endurance. If you’re suffering, pray; if you’re cheerful, sing; if you’re sick, go to the elders of the church. Again, not in the context of worship.
John 4:23-24 are the only NT verses in your article in the context of worship, whereby Jesus is in the midst of a conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, telling her that one day all people will worship the one true God “in spirit and truth”. These verses do not mention music, musical instruments, or how we are to worship, just that in the future “all will worship”.
Randy
[This message was edited by Randy Pettit on 18 July 2002 at 01:07 PM.]

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 18 Jul 2002 4:50 pm

According to this week's Weekly World News, Satan has renounced rock music, because it has "lost its edge". Maybe he will take up steel guitar next.

Reggie Duncan · Post by **Reggie Duncan** » 18 Jul 2002 5:09 pm

2nd Chronicles 5: 11-14, says that when musical instruments were used with singing, the Glory of God Came down. No less than 55 Psalms were dedicated to the Chief Musician, to be used in worship. According to F.J. Dake, in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3: 16, saints are commanded to use psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and make melody in their hearts. “The Greek word for psalms in these passages is Psalmos, a sacred song to be accompanied with harp, or other instruments. The Greek word for psalms in James 5:13, is psallo, to twitch or twang, play on a stringed instrument.” These are all New Testament passages. This is also the meaning of the Hebrew for psalms in 1st Chronicles 16:9 in the Old Testament.

There will be music in Heaven. Revelation 5:8, tells us that 144,000 Jews will be playing harps! I don’t think God has changed his mind. There is NOTHING more heavenly than a well played pedal steel guitar. NOTHING! Like someone else said, we use air-conditioning, church buildings, baptistrys, and indoor plumbing which isn’t scriptural. But in my humble, but accurate opinion, music certainly is!

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 18 Jul 2002 5:54 pm

Well said Reggie!

I've never researched this as you obviously have, and I'm very glad to see this. I will definitely pass this on to my Church of Christ friends to see what they have to say.

Frank Estes · Post by **Frank Estes** » 19 Jul 2002 5:56 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>
II Timothy 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

"ALL" means the Old Testament too. It was not done away with, but fulfilled in the birth, life, death, resurrection of Jesus. We no longer have to live under The Law.

Musical instruments used in the worship service are still very much in order!

If you attend a church that does not believe in music, then it is time to find one that is a "full gospel" church. Otherwise, you are wasting your time...

Fred Jack · Post by **Fred Jack** » 19 Jul 2002 6:24 am

Frank ... I don't agree with you on " you're wasting your time" .. however we are in full agreement on the "full gospel" part.
As you were brothers! Fred

Jon Miller · Post by **Jon Miller** » 20 Jul 2002 3:15 am

"PRAISE THE LORD WITH HARP;
SING UNTO HIM WITH THE PSALTERY
AND AN INSTRUMENT OF TEN STRINGS"

PSALMS 33:2

Sounds Like a Steel To Me!!

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Jason Stillwell · Post by **Jason Stillwell** » 25 Jul 2002 12:56 pm

Most Greek language lexicons, do indeed, show that the Greek verb "psallo" means to sing with accompaniment. These same lexicons also show this same verb to mean, "to twang a bow string" or "to snap a carpenter's line" and "to pluck a hair". The bulk of Greek lexicons in use today, however, show "psallo", when used during the time period of the writing of the New Testament and in the context of the New Testament, means "to sing". Thus, our translations of the New Testament use "sing", never "sing and play".

We can know that these are accurately translated "sing" for the following reasons:

1. Although both "psallo" and "psalmos" have both, at various points in history, been used to signify the use of instruments, most Greek lexicons, referring to the period of history in which the New Testament was written and the Lord's church established, show "psallo" to mean, "to sing a hymn", "to celebrate the praises of God in song", or "to chant". Eph. 5:19, however, clearly does indicate an accompanying instrument to the human voice--the heart.

2. History shows that the practice of the New Testament church excluded mechanical instruments of music. They were available and acceptable under the old law, but unused from the beginning of the Lord's church for over 500 years. If the words "psallo" and "psalmos" mean, in NT context, "to sing and play," then the Lord's church was doing things wrong from the beginning.

3. Assemblies of Bible translators from different schools of thought collectively translate "psalmos" as having no inference for the use of instruments.

The examples I cited in <a href=http://www.geocities.com/soper_1/page2.html>my article</a> indeed speak of worship. The context of the entire chapters is not necessarily a worship service, but living our lives in submission to God. The definition of worship: "To honor and love as a deity." The passages from both Ephesians and Colossians tell us where to direct this singing: to the Lord--worship! Both of these passages instruct us to teach, admonish, and speak to each other. When Christians get together, we are to encourage one another in song and honor and glorify God with the same.

"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus", Col. 3:17. How can I do something by Jesus' authority (in His name) that He has not given authority to do?

To those of you who insist on clinging onto the Old Testament on this issue, let me ask you this: Do you still participate in animal sacrifices?

To those of you who cite air-conditioning and microphones as excuses to add to the word of God, let me ask you this--do you offer your air-condioners and microphones in praise to God?

To those looking for the "full Gospel", let me ask you this--What can make the Gospel more complete than the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and our obedience to the same?

Finally, to those who reason, "There will be harps in heaven," let me ask you this--Do you also offer incense in golden bowls when you pray (Rev. 5:8)?

For further study, please see http://www.bible.ca/ntx-instrumental-music.htm or http://www.bible.ca/index-ntx.htm. Please feel free to <a href=mailto:hoteljason@excite.com>e-mail me</a> privately, and may God bless those of you honestly seeking the Truth.--Jason[This message was edited by Jason Stillwell on 25 July 2002 at 02:01 PM.]

Randy Pettit · Post by **Randy Pettit** » 26 Jul 2002 8:30 am

Jason, with all due respect and love, I believe it would be pointless to argue with your scriptural references and logic regarding this subject. If you and your family believe with all your heart, mind and soul that only non-instrumental worship is proper and authentic, then I think that's wonderful. In the meantime, I guess I will continue to live in apostasy

by using the gifts God gave me (although you'd never recognize it as a "gift" if you've ever heard me play), praising and helping to lead worship every week. The joy that I receive from using my gifts to glorify God is REAL, and I am continually humbled grateful to Him for allowing me the opportunity.