Carl Stam

Position: Associate professor of church music; director, Institute for Christian Worship

Spouse: Doris

Children: Michael, Martin and Clara

An interesting fact about your family: Everyone plays tennis. Everyone makes music. My Grandfather Jacob led Richard Moux to faith in Christ. Einstein stepped on my father’s foot at Princeton in 1950.

Hometown: Greensboro, N.C

Current church: Clifton Baptist Church, part-time minister of music and worship

Hobbies: Tennis, stupid conductor tricks

Most influential person in your life: My parents

Something surprising students might not know about you: My great aunt and uncle, John and Betty Stam were Christian martyrs in China in 1934.

Ministry passion: Expository singing. To prepare and lead God’s people in worship in which we read the Bible, sing the Bible, pray the Bible and preach the Bible. Our songs and hymns and prayers should be thick with Scripture.

Ministry philosophy: We need to think more about “being” the church -- being radical in our expectations of what it means to follow Jesus; being liberal in our learning style and the language we learn to communicate things of faith; being conservative in our theological affirmations

What books, besides the Bible, have most influenced you: C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters, John Stott’s Cross of Christ and Marva Dawn’s A Royal ‘Waste’ of Time

Favorite author: C.S. Lewis

Favorite music group: Atlanta Symphony Chorus (Under Robert Shaw)

A word of wisdom for Towers readers: The mature worshiper is easily edified.