My name is Aaron Schultz and I am a self-ascribed Pastoral Liturgical Musician.
Pastoral because I see my vocation in and out of the church as a way of connecting with God and others through the work of my hands.
Liturgical because common tasks from leading music in the sanctuary, brewing coffee, taking a walk outdoors, and engaging in community are all ordered in a way that invites us to participate more fully into the life of Christ and pay attention more closely to the divinely-infused activity around us. This sacred ordering and attention has the potential to transform practices of daily living in sacramental moments of imparted grace.
Musician because that is one of the main ways I am currently contributing to the life of the local church and is how I most personally encounter Divine Presence.
I have two formal degrees in church music. I received a Bachelor of Music-Music in Worship from North Park University in Chicago, IL and also received a Master of Arts in Music Ministry from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL where I was selected to study as a Ravenscroft Scholar. I am serving as the Director of Music and Arts at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines, IA and recently finished serving as the chairman of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference Chapter of the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music & Worship Arts. I’m particularly interested in how liturgy and worship music respects and reflects Christianity’s rich history while also speaking truth into our particularity and ecumenical sharing of experiencing God. This Ancient-Future approach to music ministry paves a way to engage with traditional and modern expressions of worship without needing them to be in competition with one another. My spiritual journey leans heavily on contemplative traditions, mystics, gurus, saints, theologians, thinkers, and experiencers.
“As a worship leader I am not defined by the music I make, but by the community I serve, the Gospel we pronounce, the Sacraments we participate in, and the liturgy that works to proclaim all of these things. ”
a little more about me…
Currently, I reside in Des Moines, IA with my spouse Jenn and daughters Cecilia, Eloise, and Georgette. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, gardening, brewing coffee and tea, playing and writing music, cooking, learning new instruments, being outdoors, and embarking on an ever-expanding list of hobbies such as crocheting, baking sourdough bread, bee keeping, and disc golf.
