Dr. David Harris: Faculty Spotlight

—By Julie Jeffery Manwarren

When the southern boy from South Carolina first visited Clarks Summit University in Pennsylvania, it was a cold week in March. “It was a huge change,” said Dr. David Harris, professor of music. “Neither my wife Connie nor I had been in the Northeast that much. But we fell in love with it.”

Dr. Harris grew up on the campus of Bob Jones University where his parents were professors. “My parents were very Godly people who lived out their faith at home, with their children and with each other. That made an impression on me.” Dr. Harris graduated from BJU with a bachelor’s degree in 1982 and a Master of Arts in 1984.

He met and married Connie in South Carolina. The Harris’ moved from South Carolina to Tuscaloosa, so Dr. Harris could attend the University of Alabama. There he studied voice under Edward C. White, a respected opera performer and teacher. Dr. Harris earned his doctorate in voice performance in 1989.

Although several of his colleagues went into professional performance careers, Dr. Harris believed God was leading him to teach. “I felt very close to what my parents were doing,” he said. “I felt their passion for Christian higher education. I got to the end of my doctorate and thought it would be pretty cool to do the same thing.”

One Choice

Dr. Harris was hired by CSU in the fall of 1989 and has served on faculty for more than three decades. In that span, he took one year away to serve at a church.

“We went down south and worked at a church in Beaufort, South Carolina,” Dr. Harris said. “We were there for a year, but I really missed the students and all the energy of daily campus life. We were blessed that I was able to return, and I’ve been back ever since.”

Dr. Harris teaches voice, music history, conducting, music theory and worship studies. He also leads worship for chapel as well as some conferences and events on campus. He plays piano, guitar, mandolin and the penny whistle.

“I loved the idea of working at a Bible college. I love working with kids and teaching,” said Dr. Harris.

The people aspect of Dr. Harris’ ministry is evident. “It’s about relationships,” he said. “That’s what holds us all together. We are all in Christ, so it’s familial. I have that feeling here at CSU. We are a family. There is a much greater reason for teaching than what I specialize in. There is a far greater purpose than just earning a degree.”

One Voice

One of Dr. Harris’ favorite ways to serve is to lead corporate worship. He leads worship for CSU chapel and is also the worship pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Dalton, Pennsylvania.

“Worship is participative. Congregational singing and leading in worship is not for us. It’s for those around us, and it’s a sacrifice of praise to God,” said Dr. Harris.

“I think we are very unique here at CSU,” Dr. Harris said. “We teach that what you sing is important. It’s about your theology. It’s what you understand about God and your relationship with God that propels the praise and the doxology. Colossians 3:16 gives us two reasons for singing. One is to teach about God, and two is to admonish.”

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col 3:16).

“There’ a didactic and nouthetic reason for Christians to sing. So that we learn about God and are also convicted while singing. The point is that we live out what we are singing. Our lives need to reflect what we’re singing about.”

“Singing isn’t only something to get excited about or emotional about,” he said. “Our emotions have to be grounded in a strong doctrine, and it needs to propel us forward to action.”

One Life

Dr. David and Connie Harris have three grown children and two grandchildren. Their life in Pennsylvania involves pouring into students at CSU and at Grace Baptist Church, where Dr. Harris serves as a worship Pastor.

The faithfulness of God sustained and withheld them during difficult times.

“God has been pleased to bring cancer into our life. My wife Connie had breast cancer about ten years ago,” said Dr. Harris. “That was hard. God was faithful. And He healed her. But the journey was a lesson in Hebrews 11. God gave me that faith to believe and trust in His plans, which are better than mine.”

The love and passion Dr. Harris has for music and singing is secondary to his love and passion for Jesus Christ. It’s that passion that propels him forward.

“I have this one life and a unique privilege to help souls, including my own, to be thinking, acting and feeling like Jesus. It sustained me for many years. Even through hard things like family, health crisis and all sorts of things that you run up against as a Christian musician. What I want for every musician that I have the opportunity to teach or influence is that their music points to Christ, to something greater than themselves. That doesn’t negate the fact that we must hone our craft. Music is a gift that must be developed. It’s not loving Jesus to be given a voice or the ability to play a guitar and do nothing with it. That’s hiding your talents. You’ve got to invest. That is how God has gifted you to communicate Jesus to others. But we have to stay humble. I think God wants us to be this way. It humbles us to see something greater than ourselves.”

For One Lord

Dr. Harris and the Department of Music at CSU prepare the next generation of musicians, worship leaders and music teachers. They use different methods, many instruments and a variety of recitals and performances; yet, it all points to one Lord.

“What drew me to CSU was that the school’s primary concern wasn’t academic perfection but that students would be growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus. I saw a lot of grace on this campus and a lot of love between faculty and students. I saw the heart of the place. The Department of Music has professional degrees that are excellent, and I’m very happy with how our students look academically, but there’s so much more for these students to capture that they might not get at another school, even at another Christian university. We do a great job training church musicians and music educators because we address the whole person, not just train them for a career.”

“This doesn’t cancel out talent. But it makes it secondary. God has allowed me to use my talent to serve Him. I tell my students, ‘You have to hone your craft and know your craft and work on your craft. We can help you do that here at CSU, but by far, the surpassing excellence is to know Jesus.”

On particular weekdays at Clarks Summit University, the hallways of Jackson Hall echo with voices, as the choir rehearses for their upcoming concert. Students talk with a professor about their spiritual lives, and the sound of Dr. Harris at his piano drifts from Buckingham Hall. The sweet tune of his penny whistle dances with the leaves falling outside. The Department of Music strives for excellence in theory and practice, and as Dr. Harris said, “the far surpassing excellence is to know Jesus.” And that is not only seen and felt on this campus—it is heard.