Contemporary Gospel Music and Youth Evangelization: A Case of Mavuno Church, Machakos County, Kenya
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Date
2025-01
Authors
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Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
There has been an upsurge of Pentecostal and Charismatic churches in Kenya from the 1980s into the 21st century. Their distinctive feature is majorly characterized by a vibrant way of musical worship. However, this has led to disapproval of contemporary gospel music by some of the older worshippers and clergy regarding the changing state of gospel music from being purely conservative to being accommodative of secularity. While contemporary gospel music is hoped to lead the youth to salvation and shape them morally, there is a disconnect between the actual message of this music and the lives of the youth. This study focused on contemporary gospel music in facilitating evangelization among the youth in Machakos County with specific attention to Mavuno Church. In particular, the study sought to find out if the music is theologically sound and scriptural, thus contributing to the mitigation of social vices and questionable moral behaviour among the youth and the general population. The study was guided by a number of objectives namely; First, to describe the development of contemporary gospel music in Kenya; Second, to document the theology of contemporary gospel music; Third, to assess the contribution of social issues in shaping contemporary gospel music; and last, to propose strategies that would enhance the use of contemporary gospel music in evangelizing the youth. The study reviewed literature related to contemporary gospel music and evangelization. Peter Kivy’s 1989 Arousal Theory of musical expression and Luther’s 1988 Theory of music informed this study in an attempt to understand the effectiveness of contemporary music on youth evangelization in Mavuno Church. The survey design employed in the study was descriptive. Both primary and secondary methods were used to collect data. The study employed stratified and purposive sampling techniques to identify respondents. The material collected from the library formed secondary data while the field research material formed primary data. Data from oral interviews, focused group discussions (FGD) were analysed qualitatively drawing on themes objectively while data from questionnaires were analysed quantitatively. A total of 144 respondents took part in the study. Data generated from the field research were presented and thematically analysed as per the research objectives. The findings revealed various factors make Contemporary Gospel Music (CGM) to be ineffective in youth evangelisation: incorporation of some secular aspects into CGM, some of CGM lack a biblical backing and some CGM being noise pollutants. The study recommends various solutions that will make CGM to be effective in the evangelisation of the youth: The church should have a committee that monitors CGM to ensure that it has biblical backing. Removal or avoidance of secular aspects of music in CGM, so that can be effective in the evangelisation of the youth. Trainings, seminars, workshops for church leaders, composers, artistes on trends and solutions to challenges CGM is facing in youth evangelisation. Embracing the use of media and technology for a greater outreach irrespective of various limitations that arises when CGM is used in youth evangelisation.
Description
A Thesis Submitted to the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Arts of Kenyatta University, January 2025.
Supervisor
1. Ruth J. Muthei
2. Humphrey M. Waweru