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"I Will Not Hear The Melody Of Thy Viols": Opposition To Instrumental Music In Historic Presbyterian And Puritan Worship, Sean Patrick Michael Mcdonald

Masters Theses

The parallel movements of Presbyterianism in Scotland and Puritanism in England began and developed in the 1500s. Early on, both of these movements established their opposition to musical instruments in the public worship of God. This was not merely incidental to their worship, as though instrumental music could be added without any significant alteration to Presbyterianism or Puritanism as such. Rather, the rejection of musical instruments (usually organs) was essential to their worship, and inseparably tied to key theological principles.

Differentiation In Artistic Expressions Of Worship: A Study Of The Front Royal Church Of The Nazarene, Stephanie L. Blakely

Masters Theses

While music is globally recognized as a common tool for expressing worship in both academia and the evangelical church, it is not the only art form mentioned in the Bible regarding acts of worship. The Council of Arts Accrediting Associations recognizes four main disciplines of fine and performing arts, including Music, Art and Design, Theatre, and Dance; however, in the twenty-first century evangelical church, music takes precedence as the main expression of worship. This qualitative study will gain insight into the pursuit and understanding of utilizing various art forms as expressions of biblical worship in modern-day worship settings within the …

A Comparison Of Two Worship Education Programs And The Relative Effectiveness Of Preparing Worship Leaders For The 21st Century Evangelical Church, John Dawson Kinchen Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines and compares the worship leadership programs at Liberty University and Union University, focusing on their curriculum design, development, and effectiveness in preparing worship leaders for the 21st-century modern evangelical church. Utilizing a multiple-case study methodology, the research traces the historical development of these programs, evaluates their curricular frameworks, and analyzes their alignment with the standards set by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The study identifies shared core learning competencies, including music theory, conducting, ensemble participation, and theological understanding, while highlighting unique strengths in each program's approach.

Liberty University’s curriculum emphasizes contemporary worship practices, integrating …

Women In The Leadership Of Church Worship Upholding And Manifesting Biblical Principles Of Their God-Given Design, Joyce Ann Walter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the existing literature and changes in church governments that promote women in leadership roles of church worship, there remains a gap that specifies the biblical feminine qualities of women in worship leadership. These specifics should clarify the manifested characteristics of those women in leadership who exhibit the biblical distinctness of their gender from that of the male gender. Historical study shows in past generations that many denominations have banned women from such leading roles because of the interpretation of Scripture pertaining to the man being the head over the woman. This stance has been changing in the 21st century …

Singing Sad Songs To The Savior: An Examination Of And Argument For Biblical Lament Songs, Kaden Hofheins

Senior Honors Theses

Christian lament songs play an important role in the context of the local church. There are several key differences between Christian lament and secular “sad songs” that are due to Christianity’s perspective of suffering that revolves around the hope of Jesus Christ. Christian songwriters have been writing lament songs through the lens of biblical hope in Christ throughout church history. Due to the nature of lament songs and how they give voice to negative emotions, which can help people to process their grief, and the communal nature of corporate worship, it is important that local churches ensure they use lament …

Building Healthy Families Through Intergenerational Worship Ministry, Frank Richard Gillespie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although literature exists concerning family ministry in the local church, there is little research that gives explicit insight into music and worship ministry’s role in helping to strengthen families. Since worship is one of the ultimate functions of both the church and the family, this study integrates family ministry methodology with worship ministry methodology to discover theological sound and practical ways to build up the family through corporate worship, structured music programs, and community involvement. Guided by biblical and historical foundational teachings on church and family, this qualitative research study identifies perspectives that have not yet been explored and documented …

Effects Of Nonmusical Factors On Virginia High School Band Concert Performance Assessment Results, Larry Michael Seipp

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Nonmusical factors affect the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA) concert performances and subsequent assessment results; namely, school size, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. A comparison of ratings given by individual trained evaluators demonstrates interrater reliability. A comparison of final ratings given at different assessment locations and times reflects the reliability of ratings. However, administrators and evaluators must consider nonmusical factors to report instrumental music performance results accurately. Predictor variables included SES, school size, and minority percentage. Outcome variables included overall band rating and band performance literature difficulty. Using an MLR design, the researcher compared data from the 2019 VBODA …

Sixth-Grade Sight-Singing For Low Vision Students: A Course To Enhance Confidence And Music Reading Ability, Jamie Lane Carpenter

Masters Theses

Students enter the private or public-school system with a wide variety of emotional, mental, and physical impairments that impact their confidence, self-esteem, and overall path to their future. One misunderstood and under-represented population of students are those who are not fully blind but fall under the category of low vision. Since the low vision spectrum is wide, students must advocate for themselves according to their unique visual condition. While some students may be nearsighted, others may experience color blindness, tunnel vision, a wide variety of partial blindness in one or both eyes, and more. If educators are not aware of …

Biblical Principles Of Music And Worship, Tim Alan Hall

Masters Theses

Since creation, God's plan for humanity was for the purpose of worship. How we worship matters, and there are stringent guidelines in the Old Testament and the New Testament on how it should be conducted. As society has changed across ages, modes of worship have changed both negatively and positively. This research paper aims to discuss the Biblical principles of music and worship directed toward the worship leader by exploring the principles of worship taken from the Old and New Testaments in the Bible. The review will employ a qualitative explanatory study design to answer the question, what, in addition …

Reinstating The Altar That Pleases God In The New Generations Of Worshipers Located In The Central Mountain Region Of Utuado, Puerto Rico, Luz Estelle Rosado Méndez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Through the years, each generation of worshipers has conceived throughout their service many beliefs about worship; some inspired by the Holy Spirit, and others, self-proclaimed. Many of these self-acknowledged concepts do not align with biblical truths because instead they follow the needs and trends of the culture surrounding the church. These clashes of opinions, feelings, and preferences among the Christian community have been slowly deviating congregations from the altar encounter established in the Bible to an entertainment stage experience where the human senses are enhanced. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study is to establish the importance of the …

Contextualized Songwriting In The Japanese Church, Katie Ann Mcwilliams

Masters Theses

The Christian Church of Japan has very few songs written in their own language and style. Most songs are translated from English or another language. While Japan is a very westernized country, this is a problem because things can get lost in translation and these songs are not always representative of their musical style. Furthermore, they have a unique voice of worship that is currently missing from the global Church. My research project was intended to identify songwriters and encourage songwriting for the local church with the intention of expanding the Japanese voice in the global context and raising awareness …

The Impact Of Lyric Choices On Spiritual Edification, Hanna Jane Byrd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Modern Christian worship music has gained influence within the evangelical community. The words of these songs, sung corporately, have the potential to influence the spiritual lives of church congregants, making it important for worship leaders and songwriters to identify the most beneficial lyrics. Despite numerous opinions about theological and personally relevant lyrics, little research has been conducted on the spiritual effects of lyric content within the lives of Christian believers. Diminutive scholarly inquiry has been limited to historical, theological or qualitative methodologies. Utilizing the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Spiritual Transcendence Index (STI), this quantitative quasi-experimental study …

A Study Of Music: Music Psychology, Music Therapy, And Worship Music, Jessica Whittemore

Senior Honors Theses

There are three specific fields related to music: the psychology of Music and how it affects human brain and functions, the methodology of Music Therapy and how it affects individuals undergoing treatment, and the psychological effects of Worship Music and how it can be used in music therapy. Music therapy is a growing field in which the therapeutic outcomes greatly benefit the patients. The overall purpose is to create a greater understanding of music and music therapy in order to a provide a system for introducing group worship services into music therapy to ultimately bring spiritual healing to individuals.

Doxology And Discipleship: Principles For How The Worship Leader Functions Pastorally, Robert Balentine

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many Christian worshipers and clergy misunderstand or undervalue the role that the worship leader has as a pastor and one that helps shepherd and shape the doctrinal beliefs of the church. Likewise, this could lead the worship leader to fail to take an intentional approach to worship planning. This lack of understanding and intentionality helps to contribute to the shallow or flawed theology and biblical illiteracy that plagues the church in America. This topic was chosen to demonstrate how music and song are highly effective tools for pastoring and teaching. This project will highlight three principles for how the worship …

Musical Contextualization In The Local Church: A Pragmatic Exploration Concerning The Philosophy And Methodology Of Assimilating Sacred Music Into The Worship Vocabulary Of A Congregation, Kaleb Gooden

Senior Honors Theses

God’s mandate for all worship pastors is that they minister to their local body of believers in an effective way. This directive necessitates the use of scripturally and culturally appropriate music that clearly communicates the Gospel to the church congregation. This creative thesis further investigates musical contextualization in the local church.

Five philosophical pillars represent the most basic structure on which the entire process of local church contextualization stands. The minister must be rooted in scripture, led by the Spirit, present-minded, future-driven, and committed to service. After evaluating these philosophical concepts, this thesis will then explore the methodological contextualization process …

A Renewed Approach To Undergraduate Worship Leader Education, Allen Hendricks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The church music degree program at Charleston Southern University, based on a European traditional/classical sacred music degree model, has been attracting fewer and fewer students. The last two students pursuing this degree were graduated in May, 2011. Prior to their graduation, the administration encouraged the music department to investigate current career markets and the worship leadership training strategies of other institutions. The purpose of this project is to design a suitable worship leadership degree and thus assist the university in its mission to equip churches with properly trained ministry leaders. Survey instruments will be used to discover the expectations of …

Discipling Worship Leadership: Biblical And Theological Rationale For Discipling Worship Leaders, Byron Spradlin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A review of current worship literature reveals very little guidance to assist Protestant church leaders in training, discipling or mentoring congregational worship leadership. Therefore, this thesis project researched and presents a basic rationale for developing worship leadership discipling curricula strategically targeting the needs related to discipling and training artistic Christians who are called to worship leadership in the local church.

Developing A Strategy Of Worship For Evangelical Believers Born From 1945 To 1955, Rodney Dale Whaley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project researched the need for developing a worship ministry strategically designed to meet the cultural, spiritual, musical, and emotional demands of early senior adults, those born from 1945 to 1955. The research question is, "How can the evangelical church meet the worship needs of her members born from 1945 to 1955?"

A Strategy For Identifying The Necessary Elements Of A Worship Studies Program, Don Wesley Tuttle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A review of current literature indicates that little has been written with respect to the development of a systematic program of study for those desiring to lead worship in the contemporary church. The purpose of this project is to identify the necessary elements of a worship studies program geared toward ministry in the contemporary church. Incorporating Biblical research, field studies, and surveys, the project reviews Biblical principles as well as personal perspectives on worship from individuals in the United States and other parts of the world. Based on this information, recommendations are made regarding principles of worship for the contemporary …