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The conviction

God wants to hear his people sing!

"Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!"

Psalm 105:2

The conviction

God wants to hear his people sing!

"Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!"

Psalm 105:2

The Calling

Our Beginnings

The Doxology Project was created in response to the call of churches around the country who are desiring to grow in their knowledge, skills, and heart in all areas of worship. Many of these congregations are small and struggling - they need help training and encouraging their small membership.

Our God is WORTHY of all praise and we believe our WORSHIP should come from the best of ourselves - ALL our hearts, souls, minds, and strength have to give. No matter the size of the congregation.

THE NEED

I was leading singing for a regional workshop, a few hundred in attendance. Before the lesson, we joined in a solid thirty minutes of singing. Although I didn’t know it, a middle-aged woman had walked off the street into the church building. She heard the singing, a sound unlike anything she’d heard before. She was immediately drawn in. She stayed to hear – then participate. Her heart tuned towards God by song, she also stayed to hear the preaching. That night she found God among His people. That very night she put on Christ in baptism. As she came out of the water, the first thing she heard were the sung lyrics, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the Family of God; I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood...”

Our new sister experienced the combined power of the lyrics and the music. She experienced the scripture, "But if all [are singing to one another], and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you” (I Corinthians 14:24f).

The Corinthians wanted to focus on the vertical relationship only, but Paul encouraged them to balance that with speaking to, praying with, and singing to one another in a way that was intelligible and which builds up (14:13-19).

Song-leading has fallen on hard times. Elders and church leaders regularly call us with the same story: our beloved song-leader has passed away or aged out of being able to lead singing, but we never trained anyone to replace him. What do we do now?

Quality, high-participation a cappella singing engages the minds and hearts of listeners to become singers. Relevant congregational singing is engaging! The best defense of congregational, a cappella singing is not a book on Greek verbs or a theological position paper;

the best defense is good a cappella singing!

Enrollment at the Texas Normal Singing

School grows each year, but so do the number of churches who cannot send their song leaders to a weeklong training. Many congregations are looking for a local training workshops that can support their specific needs and leaders. Every week churches are calling with their needs: “Help us worship!”

The Sisemores are ready to go.

Are you ready to send?

The Work

The Fredericksburg Church of Christ is launching Levi and Sara Sisemore and family into domestic mission work, to support a cappella, congregational singing and worship across the Brotherhood. Levi has been teaching singing schools, camps, and congregational events for twenty years and has been our worship minister since 2018.

Levi already has a kingdom-sized ministry. Each year, so many congregations and events ask and invite Levi to teach on worship or conduct singing and song-leading training, or to lead worship that he has been having to decline invitations. Each declined invitation represents congregations - many of them small and with few financial and human resources - that go without equipping, education, encouragement, and edification in worship and singing. This work has taken him across the country and we’re excited to hear reports of how congregations are blessed by his seminars and workshops.

In addition to his work with congregations, Levi will continue and intensify his work with the Texas Normal Singing School as an instructor, administrator, field representative, and recruiter. When not on the road, Levi will be developing curriculum, preparing resources, providing student and alumni support, and being the public face of TNSS.

In the summer of 2024, the board of the Texas Normal Singing School planted the seed, challenging Levi and Sara to consider taking on this full-time missionary work of supporting congregations in worship and singing.

We’re asking you to help us send the Sisemores, to say Yes! when congregations call looking for help.

Will you help the Fredericksburg church and the Singing School send this family into the field?

THE request

Levi and Sara Sisemore, the Fredericksburg Church of Christ eldership, and the Texas Normal Singing School Board of Directors are asking you to consider adding The Doxology Project to your missionary budget. Under this title, the Sisemores are ready to answer the call of being kingdom-wide advocates and a resource for a cappella, congregational singing and edifying assemblies.

Over a dozen churches have already requested the Sisemores to come help train and equip their songleaders and their congregations. Eight of those requests have been since August 2024! The need is great and opportunities endless.

Funds raised will supply two needs:

First, the Sisemores’ family budget will be met. Secondly, this work will require a working fund for travel and administrative/officing expenses. The Fredericksburg church will collect and disburse the personal salary and TNSS will be responsible for the working fund. Both the Fredericksburg church and TNSS are 501(c)3 organizations.

About The Sisemores

our family

Levi and Sara Sisemore first met in 2001 as students at the Texas Normal Singing School in Abilene, Texas. As their love for the Lord and each other grew, they knew they wanted to spend their lives in service to the Lord. Every ministry they've been a part of since has been a family endeavor. First just the two of them, then the four of them as their two sons have grown in faith and maturity. Their hearts still sing at opportunities to serve the Lord and his church, and they're excited to see what lives the Lord will touch through The Doxology Project.

Introducing Levi Sisemore

Levi was raised in a Christian home, the son of a preacher and missionary, the grandson of elder-shepherds, and is a fourth-generation song-leader. He is proud to be raising up the next generation of song-leaders in his two sons, Jeremiah and Benjamin. Levi and Sara met as teenagers at Singing School. After they married and both had graduated from Sunset International Bible Institute, they began full-time work with congregations in Texas (Floydada, Snyder, and Fredericksburg). The Sisemores homeschool their children, using that flexibility to involve the whole family in ministry.

In his heart, Levi is a minister, missionary, and evangelist – whether teaching, preaching, or singing! Regardless of the specific project or audience, the Sisemores are dedicated to serving Christians and local congregations, “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

Levi has preached, led singing, or taught in over 80 congregations in fourteen states as well as been on the program at Summit (ACU Lectures); the Freed-Hardeman Lectureship; the Sunset Vision Workshop; HomeMission: Revive Us Again Workshop; FaithBuilders Workshop (Seattle); and other events. He’s taught music or Bible at Camp Apollos (Sunset International Bible Institute), Northeast Washington Christian Camps (Camp Prince’s Pine), the Western Oklahoma School of Music, White River Youth Camp, and the Tennessee Singing School (Freed-Hardeman University).

Levi has been an instructor at the Texas Normal Singing School since 2006. At TNSS, he regularly teaches Theological Worship Planning, Sight Reading (Shape Notes), and The History of Hymnody in Churches of Christ; in the past he has taught the first and fourth-year song-leading courses. Levi serves on the TNSS Board of Directors and travels to many Brotherhood events to represent and recruit for the Singing School.

a brief résumé

Education:

Levi is a graduate of SIBI (Bachelor of Biblical Studies and Master of Biblical Studies), the Sunset School of Missions, and the Texas Normal Singing School. He has completed additional graduate work in theology through Nations University and is presently enrolled in the Doctor of Worship Studies program at the Institute for Worship Studies.

Ministry Background:

Worship & Involvement Minister (2018-present), Church of Christ, Fredericksburg, Texas
Preaching Minister (2014-2017), 37th Street Church of Christ, Snyder, Texas
Preaching Minister (2007-2014), City Park Church of Christ, Floydada, Texas
Missionary Youth Minister (2000-2002), Church of Christ, Barnaul, Russia

God at Work: Stories from Levi's travels

Creating Opportunities for Conversations

On a warm Sunday afternoon, we visited the Methodist church down the street for a quarterly hymn singing for the first time. There were about ninety folks there, from many different church backgrounds.

We sang 23 songs. All but two or three I knew by heart as standards. Of course, the songs were all accompanied by a talented pianist. To my ears - always used to unaccompanied singing - the piano was “too loud” and it was the “leading voice” in the room.

Anyone with desire was invited to come up and lead a song. About midway through the hour, I volunteered. “Could we sing It Is Well with My Soul?” I asked for the indulgence of being allowed to lead the song a cappella. The pianist was gracious to allow this and everyone was excited – but nervous! – to give this a try. Our community gathering of mostly-Methodists engaged heartily with the singing of this classic faith song. Twice more during the evening, the coordinator gushed at the wonderful experience it was to sing a cappella; after the event, she made sure to invite me back to lead more a cappella. Several participants shared with me how wonderful it was to sing, even if just one song, without their instrumentation. Essentially, these said, without the piano there was nothing to hide behind and it encouraged people to sing out. They were hooked and excited to do more.

The moral: too many of us are concerned that a cappella, congregational singing is a turnoff and a barrier for churches of Christ and go looking for instrumental alternatives. I am convicted that if we make an effort to sing well and have a sweet spirit about us as we sing, this mode of singing is winsome, engaging, and encouraging. A cappella singing can be a draw and an open door for communicating the gospel to folks all around us if we do it well and with love.

Before the year was up, we hosted two afternoon singing events. The old Sunday morning divides were not present as we met to sing with one voice. Bridges were built for conversations about spiritual truths between those who lifted their voices: Methodists, community church evangelicals, Bible Church, Catholics, Lutherans, and our own people. God works through congregational, a cappella singing to build bridges and seek unity.

Healing Hearts

I was leading a singing workshop in Colorado. After a silly vocal exercise, I noticed that a woman in our class had tears flowing down her cheek. I paused our session to take a break, during which I approached this sister to see if I had said or done something to upset her. As it turns out, they were tears of joy. Her junior high choir teacher told her, “You, don’t sing; just move your mouth. No one needs to hear you.”

This woman had carried that stigma and trauma with her into her life and the church for decades. God had created her to sing because He wanted to hear her voice, but someone took that away from her! Through our time together, she began - for the first time in years - to vocalize her praises to God and songs to her brothers and sisters.

I wish I could say that I’ve never heard that same story from others, but I have. It’s my dream to give singing back to the people - to equip them to do their best, to remove barriers that keep them from full participation - and worship together! I am convicted that God wants to hear his people sing!

Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach out to us by phone or through the "Contact Us" form if you cannot find an answer to your question.

What kind of workshops does The Doxology Project offer?

The Doxology Project will work with your church leadership to begin addressing the needs of your specific situation. Each congregation is at a different place in their local context and Levi's 20 years of experience in ministry and his studies and training equip him in a focused way to help congregations address a broad arena of worship-related issues. Just a few areas your church may want to grow in might be song-leader training, worship development, engaging the entire congregation in singing, speaking to the heart in the "old vs new songs" debate, and teaching the basics of music theory or reading shaped-notes. Give Levi a call to hear in what additional areas he is equipped to train others.

How much does a workshop cost?

The ministry of The Doxology Project is designed so that every congregation - no matter the size or financial ability - can be blessed. We do not charge a workshop fee.

Our financial needs are covered by the generosity of our supporters and The Texas Normal Singing School provides a small working fund. If your church benefits from the services provided, you are welcome to pay it forward through a one-time or monthly gift either to the working fund (TNSS is a 501(c)3) or an honorarium to the Sisemores.

I want to help support this work. How do I do that?

The Fredericksburg Church of Christ (501(c)3) is the overseeing congregation for The Doxology Project. Please make your check out to "Fredericksburg Church of Christ" with "The Doxology Project" written in the memo line, and mail it to:

Fredericksburg Church of Christ

P.O. Box 991

Fredericksburg, TX 78624

If you'd prefer to contribute towards the Sisemores' working fund, please make your check out to "Texas Normal Singing School" (501(c)3) with "The Doxology Project" written in the memo line, and mail it to:

TNSS

c/o James Tackett

8705 Bridgeport Dr.

Austin, TX 78753

Can I make a donation online?

If you're interested in making a donation online, please reach out to us at 806-777-8417.

The conviction

The conviction