Ward Chorister calling?

[Abelhawk]

We just called a member to be Ward Chorister, and I realized that's not actually a standard calling (anymore?). Instead, there's only:
- Priesthood Music Director
- Relief Society Music Leader
- Choir Director
- Music Leader
- Music Adviser

To avoid just creating a custom calling, what is the correct standard calling to assign them? What is a "leader" vs. a "director," and why are they randomly dispersed between Priesthood and Relief Society but there's no Ward calling for it? I wasn't aware we even had any music, organized in callings or otherwise, in Priesthood and Relief Society since we changed to two-hour church. And we already have a Ward Music Coordinator, who chooses hymns and organizes music numbers and stuff, so I know that's a separate calling.

This is made even more confusing with this page: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/cal ... r?lang=eng Which talks about a "Ward Music Director," but I don't see that option anywhere in LCR.

[lajackson]

We just called a member to be Ward Chorister, and I realized that's not actually a standard calling (anymore?). Instead, there's only:
- Priesthood Music Director
- Relief Society Music Leader
- Choir Director
- Music Leader
- Music Adviser

To avoid just creating a custom calling, what is the correct standard calling to assign them?

The person just called is the Ward Music Leader. See General Handbook 19.4.3.1. The music leader conducts the congregational hymns for sacrament meeting and for other ward meetings as requested.

I cannot answer most of your other questions. I can certainly see that the link you provided goes to a woefully out of date website that no longer applied when the former Handbook 2 went away.

[russellhltn]

why are they randomly dispersed between Priesthood and Relief Society but there's no Ward calling for it?

The PH and RS has music callings for signing hymns in those meetings.

Just speculation, but they may not have put "Ward" in front of the ward callings so they wouldn't have to create a "Branch" equivalent.

[sbradshaw]

Thanks for using standard callings! This becomes more important as more online tools give access based on callings. For music specifically, see "Who has access to select sacrament meeting hymns?" in the Gospel Library FAQ page:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/mobile-applications/gospel-library-faq?lang=eng

[BrianEdwards]

For music specifically, see "Who has access to select sacrament meeting hymns?" in the Gospel Library FAQ page:

And specifically, that section of the FAQ also does have a very helpful summary of the old-to-new calling name changes:
Music Adviser (no longer defined in the General Handbook), Music Chairman (now “Music Coordinator”), Music Director (now “Music Leader”), Chorister (now “Music Leader”), Organist or Pianist (now “Accompanist”).

[Abelhawk]

Okay, Music Leader it is. Thanks a lot, each of you.

[dajoker]

It may be worth noting that "Ward Chorister", if it was ever official, was a tradition that needs to go away because of the confusion it causes. A chorister, as the name implies, is a member of a choir. I suppose that could be a calling, but nobody thinks of "Ward Chorister" (or any other chorister) as a member of the choir, and most members of the choir (except of course for THE choir, and they're at least called as missionaries) are called to be there.

[Mikerowaved]

A chorister, as the name implies, is a member of a choir.

Chorister has two accepted definitions...

noun: chorister
1. a member of a choir, especially a child or young person singing the treble part in a church choir.
2. a person who leads the singing of a church choir or congregation.