## Summary Bryan Sirchio is an ordained United Church of Christ pastor and singer-songwriter who founded the Convergence Music Project (CMP) to provide theologically progressive, inclusive worship music. His 2012 book *The 6 Marks of Progressive Christian Worship Music* is the primary articulation of CMP's framework. He serves as the principal advocate for a UCC-aligned approach to contemporary worship-music vetting. ## Key facts - **Ordination.** Ordained UCC pastor. - **Home congregation.** McFarland UCC, McFarland, Wisconsin (as of most recent sources). - **Role.** Founder and principal artist of the [[Convergence Music Project]]. - **Book.** *The 6 Marks of Progressive Christian Worship Music* (AuthorHouse, 2012). Available on Amazon (ASIN: 1477249575). The definitive CMP framework document. - **Workshops.** Offers regional workshops for congregations; at least one SNEUCC event was offered for $25 with lunch. ## The 6 Marks Framework Sirchio's *6 Marks* articulates what progressive Christian worship music should do. While the full text is not yet ingested, the marks are cited in the Worship Vetting Compendium and across multiple wiki sources: 1. Theologically coherent with progressive/expansive doctrine. 2. Inclusive language — for God and humanity. 3. Communal rather than solely individualistic. 4. Justice-oriented, not escape-oriented. 5. Ecologically aware. 6. Accessible for congregational singing (not solo-performance dependent). > [!question] Full ingest pending > The 6 Marks text itself is not yet in the vault. Ingesting it would give this page primary-source grounding and close the open question of the exact mark formulations. Courtney should check whether a copy is accessible. ## Convergence Music Project Sirchio co-founded CMP with [[Brian McLaren]] and Rev. Cameron Trimble (Center for Progressive Renewal). CMP provides: - Songs with intentionally progressive/inclusive theology. - Downloadable sheet music and audio. - Subscription membership for congregations. - Songs indexed by liturgical function. - Annual Converging Conference (cmpconverging.com) targeting pastors and worship leaders from conservative/evangelical backgrounds. See [[Convergence Music Project]] for the full network description. ## Why he matters for St. John's UCC context Sirchio is the closest single resource to a UCC-native worship music advocate in the wiki. His framework directly addresses the St. John's context: a mixed congregation with hymn-lovers, deconstructors from NAR/AoG backgrounds, and people who have never considered the theology of their worship. CMP's artist network (Mark Miller, Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan, Christopher Grundy, The Many, Andra Moran) provides practical alternatives to CCLI-dominant contemporary worship. (Source: [[2026-04-21 CMP — What Is the Convergence Music Project]], [[2026-04-24 Worship Music Vetting Compendium]]) ## Related - [[Convergence Music Project]] — the institution he founded - [[Worship Song Vetting Rubric St Johns UCC]] — the rubric builds on his 6 Marks framework - [[Brian McLaren]] — CMP co-founder (stub) - [[United Church of Christ]] — his denominational home - [[Inclusive Language Hymnody]] — adjacent tradition - [[2026-04-24 Worship Music Vetting Compendium]] — primary source