Online Archives

CHRISTOPHER J. TROILO

At the 2008 General and the 2008 Baltimore-Washington Annual conferences, United Methodists have been treated to the melodic styling of Mark Miller, a charismatic musician who seems born to lead and inspire congregations to worship through song.

His enthusiasm is nothing short of contagious. To understand what fuels an artist of this caliber, one must look at Miller's history and how he came to be the musician he is today.

Miller's father was a Methodist pastor. He recalls being enthralled by his church's organ at an very young age, impressed with the pipes and often times running up to the organist during postludes.

When he grew older, Miller was accepted to Yale, where he majored in music and organ. He envisioned himself becoming an organist, however, after attending "Exploration," he found his calling, he wanted to work for the church.

After graduation, Miller went on to receive his Master's Degree in Organ Performance from the Julliard School, with a specific concentration and affinity for classical music. He assumed that this would be the style of music he would be playing once he found a congregation in need of his talents. Then something happened that Miller describes as "having his life blown out of the water."

After seeing The Covenant Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem, New York, perform Verdi's Requiem, Miller assumed it would be a perfect fit for him, and his desire to play classical music. Covenant Avenue saw a black organist and assumed that Miller was a gospel musician.

Miller tried his best to keep up with the style of music each week, but it was very foreign to his training. Then one Sunday, the 1,000 member congregation began singing "This Little Light of Mine," and Miller just couldn't play it.

Miller recalls, "I was trying to play out of the book, because I could only read music; I couldn't really listen by ear. The minister stopped me and told me to stop playing. It was a complete disaster." Miller says it was the most humiliating moment of his career, but at the same time, the most instructive. "I had to grow," Miller said.

He spent the next year learning how to read and interpret music with his ears. He had become so used to reading notes on the page, he had to train his other senses to feel the songs, which opened the door for him to learn many different genres of music beyond his classical teaching. Still, even with his training, Miller's heart told him he wanted to return to his Methodist roots.

Reconnecting with Methodist congregations, Miller took positions at a variety of churches, learning different styles and how to invigorate people of varying backgrounds through song. He gained a variety of diverse perspectives on worship, calling himself a "sponge," eager to soak up new information he would later use to bring people of different backgrounds together with music.

Miller would then go on to incorporate his other calling, to teach. Working on both the faculties of Drew Theological School and at Yale, Miller has begun to pass along his knowledge and love of music to a whole new generation. Working with these educational institutions has also given Miller the opportunity to compose, and many of his works have been published.

When composing, Miller pulls inspiration from a particular event or theme in order to create his music. An example of this is a song used on Saturday at annual conference called "Draw the Circle Wide."

The piece was originally written in memory of a woman of the Yale community. The song itself is meant to be a reflection that we are all a part of God's family and that no one ever stands alone. While this particular piece of music was written during a state of grieving, the song's true message is that of hope through the simple idea of unity.

Today, for churches attempting to either begin or enhance their music programs, Miller offers the advice of making sure that its real choir is the congregation. Ensure that the people who are attending service each week are enjoying the pieces they are singing, he said.

"It has to be fun. Worship is really about people at play," Miller remarked. One of Miller's favorite methods to keep things fresh and vibrant is to take old favorite songs or prayers and set them to more modern and contemporary tempos and rhythms.

Miller's actions and words speak that he has nothing but optimism and excitement about the vast world of music and all it has to offer worship services.

For now, Miller invites us to come together in joyful song and benefit from his experiences, talent and creativity, as we worship with music filled with passion.