Date
5-2020
Department
School of Music
Degree
Doctor of Worship Studies (DWS)
Chair
Paul Rumrill
Keywords
Mother Emanuel AME Church, Shared-Traumatic Experience, Church Tragedy
Disciplines
Christianity | Liturgy and Worship
Recommended Citation
Singleton, Wayne, "Shared-Traumatic Experience and the Role of the Minister of Music: A Case Study of Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church" (2020). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 2490.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2490
Abstract
The ministry of the minister of music is essential when the local church has experienced a shared-traumatic event. Since many churches have never experienced a shared-traumatic event, there is little research to aid worship leaders in leading their congregation through loss and grief. There is a need to study the significant role of the minister of music when confronted with a life-changing event that has affected the local church ministry. Mother Emanuel AME Church, located in Charleston, SC, experienced a tragic event that significantly influenced the worship leader’s role in leading the congregation through a shared-traumatic event. This phenomenological study seeks to increase the awareness of the non-musical role of the worship leader, leading pastoral care, counseling, and worship planning. The authentic experience in hymnody singing is a valuable part of the corporate worship experience. The shared-traumatic realities of many congregants often generate a desire for empathy and healing.
