Arrangements for Congregational Worship

Biographie

I was born and raised in the home of a Lutheran pastor who married a Lutheran teacher. Growing up I learned to play piano, trumpet, French horn, guitar, and organ. I started to play organ for church services when I was a sophomore in high school. I graduated from Cambridge High School, Cambridge, Minnesota, in 1979.

At Concordia College, St. Paul, Minnesota, I studied organ, French horn, music theory, and harpsichord. I played French horn in band, and I played keyboard and guitar and sang in a group called "Glad Sound." While at Concordia, I also met my wife, Mary, a flute player in the band and a music theory classmate.

During the 1982-83 school year, I served a 9-month evangelism internship at St. John Lutheran Church and School in Rochester, Michigan. On my internship I directed an adult hand bell choir, the Renaissance Ringers. Returning to Minnesota following my internship, I was married in August 1983 and graduated from Concordia's Director of Evangelism program in 1984.

Having been called to return to St. John, Rochester, and to serve as their full-time Director of Evangelism, my wife and I moved to Michigan where we lived in Auburn Hills and Lake Orion for a total of 10 1/2 years. While at St. John I continued to direct the Renaissance Ringers, organized our "non-traditional" worship service music, and occasionally played French horn or organ for church services and concerts. I also began recording, sequencing, and notating some contemporary hymn arrangements. God gave us three children during our St. John years: Sarah, Josiah, and Micah.

In 1994, I received a call to be a church planter in the southeast Columbus, Ohio, area, and we moved to Pickerington, Ohio. As the church planter, I was responsible for planning and organizing all aspects of our newly formed church's ministry, including worship music. I continued exploring ways to combine traditional worship with contemporary musical styles.

After 3 1/2 years in Ohio, I received and accepted the call to serve as "Assistant to the Pastor in Outreach and Worship" at a dual-site congregation in Livonia and Canton, Michigan. Serving Christ Our Savior from 1998 to 2002, I was responsible for leading outreach at both sites and for leading worship music at the new site in Canton. I especially focused on developing more contemporary hymn and liturgical song arrangements for use in our worship services.

Since September 2002, I have served as Minister of Music at Christ The King Lutheran Church in Southgate, Michigan. My primary responsibilities are leading and administering the entire church music program, providing hands-on leadership for the praise bands, and also leading the sound tech ministry. Christ The King has provided opportunities for leading and developing music in a wide range of styles with a wide range of musical ensembles, including mixed choir, brass and woodwind ensembles, hand bells, praise bands, men's and women's ensembles, children's choirs, VBS music, and various combinations of the above.

I am pleased to be able to share with others music that I have developed in and for local church music ministry. It is my prayer that these musical resources will be a blessing to you and worshipers at your church just as they have been for me. To God alone be the glory!

Tim Bode