Date

12-19-2023

Department

School of Music

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Chair

Lori J. Danielson

Keywords

Worship, Liturgy, Corporate, Congregational, Singing, Communal

Disciplines

Liturgy and Worship

Abstract

Corporate worship singing long aided congregants in growing their communal identity and theological understanding of biblical principles. While modern singing trends help congregants grow their theological understanding, modern church singing trends suggest songs are not encouraging growth in communal identity mimicking cultural values of individualism in corporate worship song lyrics. Historically, individual first-person pronouns represented the individuals alongside the rest of the church; but with a rise in cultural individualism, first-person pronouns now represent individuals independent of one another. This individualistic focus can lead congregants to conclude they do not need the church and to remove themselves from the body of Christ or to only be involved minimally in the life and activities of the church. Since the corporate worship service is often the entry point for both non-Christians and new Christians, and song lyrics affect congregants theological and communal views, it is imperative that corporate song lyrics encourage participants beyond corporate worship services into discipling, evangelizing, and serving opportunities of the church. This dissertation employs mixed methods to bridge the gap between worship scholars encouraging communal language and church practices.

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