Stretch Goal for a
Polyphony Mentoring Initiative
We’re Getting There.
Three years ago, we asked you to help us raise $300,000 to build something: a thriving community of church musicians who could find formation, fellowship, and a future in their calling. You met that goal, and that community is now a reality. Since January 1, 2024, we have raised $332,634. YOU DID THAT.
Now we are ready to take the next step. We are proud to announce Counterpoint, Polyphony's new mentoring initiative, and we need your help to launch it.
The Need
The church musician of the future will need to be a curator of the best of the church's tradition while imagining innovative ways to renew worship for their specific community. That requires formation, not just information, and formation happens best in relationship. Research consistently shows that church musicians in their early years are at the highest risk of leaving the field entirely. Counterpoint exists to change that.
Introducing Counterpoint
Developed over the past year by a dedicated team of church musicians, Counterpoint is a two-year mentoring initiative that pairs early-career church musicians with seasoned leaders who have walked the road before them. It launches in February 2028, and here is how it works:
WHO IT SERVES
Early-career church musicians in their first one to seven years of ministry, paired with experienced mentors who bring wisdom, steadiness, and a deep commitment to the calling.
WHAT IT COVERS
Every mentor cohort works through the real challenges of the job, with focused guidance across four areas: worship leadership, pastoral care, administration, and staff relationships.
HOW IT MEETS
Each cohort gathers in person the day before the Polyphony conference each year, connects four times over Zoom throughout the year, and meets individually with their mentor as needed. Second-year participants conclude with a final retreat.
WHAT MENTEES RECEIVE
A full scholarship to the Polyphony conference, a free SMNR subscription, public recognition at the conference, and the kind of investment in their future that changes the trajectory of a career.
Why We Need You
We are asking you to help us reach our $100,000 stretch goal by the end of 2026, for a total of $400,000 raised. The funds will cover this year's operating budget ($22,000) and establish the Counterpoint pilot program ($40,000), including the coordinator role that makes it sustainable and the recruitment of mentors worthy of the work.
This is not a program. It is a pipeline, and it is how we ensure that the thriving community you helped us build today keeps growing.
Will you invest in the future of music ministry?
