One of the most frustrating things about being in a small or under-resourced church is the challenge of providing good-quality congregational music. Many churches would sell a proverbial kidney to secure the services of a competent four-piece band.

The natural response is to give up. Rather than subject the congregation to the stammering sounds of amateur hour, we might feel like sending singing to the scrapheap. Better no music than bad music, it might be said.

However, whilst singing is not an essential part of the gathering of God's people, it must certainly be considered to be a natural element of church. The saints have been singing since before Sinai, and the Psalms are testimony to the centrality of music as an activity of God's people.

One solution, then, is to sing without accompaniment. If we're prepared to sing 'Happy Birthday to You' without a piano or guitar, then why can't we sing 'In Christ Alone'?

As long as someone in your group is able to select the right starting note, then this should be fine. You might choose to sing only one or two songs as part of your church service, but at least you are including everyone in the group by encouraging singing.

But, a capella singing often seems a little thin. It is much better to have some form of accompaniment, even if it is only one instrument.

One solution that has been offered is the singing to a backing track on CD or MP3 player. If you can't afford to pay the top session musos to accompany your gathering, then why not pay a one-off fee to have them present through pre-recorded music?

This is a reasonable suggestion. I have not been a part of a group that regularly uses canned accompaniment. Have you? Are you? What has it been like?

Another alternative is to get someone to learn an instrument especially for the purposes of playing in church. A great place to start is with guitar. A person can play most songs with only a handful of chords. It's a relatively simple instrument to learn, and you can buy a reasonable student instrument for as little as $200.

A final option is to try and flush out any musos that are trained, but lacking confidence. That's where the TWIST Away Conference comes into its own. Due to the intimacy of small, hands-on groups, your church musos will spend small group time with some of Australia's most experienced music trainers. Your musos can bring along their instruments and learn how to grow in their skills and be better at leading their church in this musical service.

The TWIST Away Conference is run by Emu Music and Youthworks on June 12 to 14 at Port Hacking. Registrations close 31 May (that's only days away).

Why not give your church musicians the gift of a weekend of intensive, hands-on training and support?

Through this gift, you will be giving your church a boost in the quality of your music.