James F. Marriott will join Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, as the director of musical arts beginning with the 2015-16 academic year.
 
Marriott will assist in planning and leading the worship life of the Seminary community. He will conduct Seminary choirs, serve as the principal organist for services in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus, and teach worship courses.
 
“Emotion is a thing in religion but not the main thing; the Word of God is,” said Dr. Dale A. Meyer, president of Concordia Seminary. “Music contributes to the Spirit’s working so that we love the Lord more and more with all our heart, soul and mind, obeying God’s total claim on our whole being.
 
“As director of Music Arts, James Marriott brings experience, knowledge and skill to Concordia Seminary that will teach and enhance the worship of those who will in turn be leaders of congregational worship for generations to come.”

Marriott succeeds Rev. David Johnson, who served the Seminary from 2013-15 before he left to serve as associate pastor at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Pearland, Texas.

Marriott has served a variety of congregations across the United States, including Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Ill., where he was the director of worship from 2009-15. Previously, he was the director of sanctuary worship at St. John Lutheran Church and School, Rochester, Mich., from 2007-09, and the minister of music at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Jacksonville Beach, Fla., from 2004-07.

“I am honored and thrilled to join the Seminary community in this capacity,” Marriott said. “I look forward to participating in the already vibrant worship life at Concordia Seminary, and am eager to serve the students, faculty and staff, administration, families and guests that comprise our community of believers. I am humbled at the opportunity to learn and to grow in such a rich academic and theological environment, and pray that whatever contribution I bring will be Christ-centered and Spirit-inspired.”

Marriott holds a bachelor’s degree in parish music from Concordia University, Nebraska, Seward, Neb., and a master’s degree in church music from Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, Wis. He is a doctoral candidate in liturgical studies at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill.

He is a regular recitalist and lecturer at Christian venues throughout the country. He serves as the founder and artistic director for Evangelii, the youth choir of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lisle, which annually tours the nation. He also has published worship materials through Concordia Publishing House and Liturgy Solutions.

Marriott and his wife, Kristi, have two children, Joel and Kirstin.

About Concordia Seminary
Concordia Seminary provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars, and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). Since its founding in 1839, Concordia Seminary has equipped more than 12,000 graduates to serve Church and world. Today, a world-renowned faculty teaches more than 600 students in the classroom, off-campus, and online. Learn more at www.csl.edu.