| dc.description.abstract | This study examines the role of music in ‘popularizing’ Pentecostal churches in Mbarara, South-western Uganda. By popularizing, I refer to making something known, with the aim of making people appreciate and be part of it. In this case, I investigate how music makes Daystar Cathedral, which is among the prominent Pentecostal churches in Mbarara, known to the public. As such, I investigate how music enables people (both born-again Christians and other people) know about the doctrines, lifestyle, values, and beliefs of Daystar Cathedral Church thus making them come and be part of its congregation.
To collect data for this study, I used a qualitative research methodology under a case study design. By choosing Daystar Cathedral Church, I shared the views and experiences of my informants, which are analyzed to demonstrate how music popularizes Pentecostal churches in Mbarara. The choice of this methodology made me to use data collection tools like interviewing, participant observation, document analysis, auto ethnography as well as recording, photography, and note-taking.
This study reveals that music communicates what takes place in Daystar Cathedral church. In other words, it enables people (especially those who do not attend its services) to understand what takes place in this church. In this way, music makes the churches to become popular in this place. Besides communicating what takes place in church, music is a tool for communicating the message preached in these churches. It was also revealed that the style of music performed in these Pentecostal churches is different from that experienced in mainstream churches like the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, and Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church. While in mainstream churches Christians usually sing hymns which are read from hymn books, in Pentecostal churches, there is ‘praise and worship’ music, which is normally in call and response form. This music has a lot of improvisations due to the numerous instruments that are played to accompany the singing as well as depending on the feeling of the praise and worship leader as led by God’s Spirit. | en_US |
