Christian Musician David Crowder To Present National Church Music Conference at Baylor

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Crowder's Fantastical Church Music Conference - an event designed for church music practitioners and laity to cooperatively and creatively think about how to craft and choose church music - will take place from Thursday, Sept. 30, to Saturday, Oct. 2, in Waco Hall on the Baylor University campus.
Leading the conference will be award-winning Christian musician and Baylor alum David Crowder of The David Crowder*Band.
Nearly 30 presenters and musicians will lead workshops, concerts and panel discussions. Among them will be Jars of Clay, Louie Giglio, Rob Bell, Israel Houghton, Hillsong London, Leeland, Francis Chan, Gungor, David Dark, Bifrost Arts, Derek Webb, Matt Maher and Charlie Peacock.
"Crafting and choosing the songs the church sings is a critical and crucial work of discernment," Crowder said in a video about the event. Goals are to gain a better understanding of music's role in the church and a greater appreciation within the church for diversity, so that music practitioners cross generations, cultures and genres as they inspire worship through music.
Organizers say they expect vigorous discussions, and participants will come away with new songs to use in worship.
"This conference is aimed at the decision-makers, the gatekeepers, the people who determine what churches sing," said Dr. Randall Bradley, director of the church music program at Baylor and The Ben H. Williams Professor of Music. He said a capacity crowd is expected at Waco Hall, which seats 2,250 people.
"We need to be building bridges and breaking down walls in Christian music, and this can be a step in that direction," he said. "There will be possibilities for people to hear perspectives they haven't thought about and consider ideas that aren't in their everyday thought process."
Among workshop topics will be The Functional limits of Creativity; A Short History of Church Music, Worship and Justice; From Sunday to Sunday: A New Old Vision for Worship; Technology and Production; Electronic programming; and Children's Education and Creative Identity.
Waco Hall is at 624 Speight Ave. in Waco. Some events will be held at other campus venues; a schedule will be provided for registrants.
Registration will be at the Ferrell Center from 2-5 p.m. Sept. 30 and at Waco Hall from 5 to 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the first session at 6:30 p.m. Only a few hundred tickets remain, but if they do not sell out in advance, they may be purchased at the door for the same price: $199 for individuals, $189 per person for groups of five or more; $179 for students.
There will be breaks for meals, and a list of nearby restaurants and lodgings will be included in registration materials.

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