Date

12-2020

Department

School of Music

Degree

Master of Arts in Music and Worship (MA)

Chair

Jerry Leonard Newman

Keywords

Worship, Multigenerational, Music, Identity

Disciplines

Christianity | Liturgy and Worship | Music

Abstract

Churches in the twenty-first century come in all types, shapes, and sizes. The church plant movement is bringing many new churches into existence. With many of these church plants, the assumption is that a contemporary worship style comes with it. This could be viewed this way, because of the high population of younger people that attend these churches. Churches like Elevation Church, North Point Church, Passion City Church, and Saddleback Community Church are all church plants. These churches are magnets for newly established Christians and those seeking to answer questions about God for the first time. They are magnets for individuals who have been “dechurched.” Caleb Davis, from acts29.com defines dechurched as “They were once part of the church but now are not…” These church plants attract very specific types of people. These individuals are typically seeking something that looks very different from what they have traditionally viewed as church. Thus, they choose the new, contemporary church plant model. But what about the thousands of churches born in the 1900s or before? What about churches that have more than just one or two generations attending? These churches have people of all ages. Some have families with multiple generations living and dying within that church. What does worship look like for these churches? What happens when worship music styles shift? How do their leaders navigate these waters? This thesis will seek to answer the question, "How do churches that are multigenerational find their worship music identity?"

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