Date

11-13-2024

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Paul C. Esswein

Keywords

contemporary worship music, culture, ethnic-worship, Japanese, singing, traditionalism, worldview, worship pedagogy

Disciplines

Christianity | Music

Abstract

The problem at Honolulu Christian Church Japanese Department is that ontologies skewed by traditionalism and Japanese culture prevented full participation in congregational worship, resulting in unawareness and deprived spiritual growth. The purpose of this project was to revitalize HCCJD’s corporate worship through research and pedagogy that empowered congregants with a purpose for their praise. It was hypothesized that if HCCJD discovered the purpose for their praise, then they would be more inclined to participate in corporate worship, increasing the likelihood of spiritual growth. Recruiting efforts yielded thirteen consenting adult HCCJD members, ten of whom were able to contribute to the data. Seven additional non-HCCJD subjects contributed toward a control group. Pseudonyms were used throughout the paper to identify individuals. The live research was conducted over a period of eight weeks at the church campus. Data was collected through 1) Likert-scale surveys, 2) interviews, 3) self-report journals, and 4) video-assisted visual observations. The results of this project confirmed the existence of cultural ontologies specific to participants born in Japan that affected their opinions and beliefs on corporate worship. Although post-intervention observations of corporate worship were noticeably more passionate than in the past, it was not possible to determine if it was solely the result of the intervention as too many variables were at play, including the sovereign acts of the Holy Spirit. Although no significant changes in individual theologies and philosophies were detected in the participants, the research did create a greater awareness of the true purpose of worship in many participants.

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