ABSTRACT

In the last twenty years or so, there has been controversy about what would be considered as appropriate and effective approaches for teaching worship music in a multicultural Christian church setting. There has also been concern about the influence of popular music styles on music training in Pentecostal Churches (PCs) and in particular House of Grace Churches (HOGCs) within Nairobi and its environs. This is inclusive of the ways in which popular music styles have influenced the approaches used in teaching worship music in HOGCs. This study examined the nature of messages conveyed through worship music performed in HOGCs in order to understand how sacred texts could be merged with a wide range of musical styles and used in the Church context. The study was informed by social learning and communication theories. The key argument in social learning theory is that an observer‟s behaviour changes after viewing a behavioural model while in communication theory, communication takes place when the sent messages generate meaning. The theories were helpful in understanding how teaching approaches are influenced by social behaviour patterns typical to popular music styles. The nature of this study necessitated a descriptive survey methodology and therefore, the study used questionnaires, interviews and observations to gather primary data. Secondary data was mainly retrieved from documents and other related sources of information. The descriptive survey methodology informed the collection of people„s observations and experiences about teaching approaches for worship music within HOGCs. Stratified random sampling was used to identify churches that were to be studied. The sampling technique applied to members of the churches identified through stratified random sampling was purposive. The data collected was ultimately analysed using descriptive tools and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Some of the major findings of the study were that: There were various approaches used in teaching worship music; Popular music styles influenced music training in HOGCs.