Sankofa: The Recovery of Negro Spirituals and Traditional African American Gospel Music for the Formation of Florida East Coast Baptist Association Ministers of Music and Church Musicians

• Main Author: Clements, Richard Allen
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2024
• Subjects: African American Studies; Black studies; Music; Theology
• ISBN: 9798382597430

This thesis explores how Negro Spirituals and traditional African American gospel music can be used as formation resources for Ministers of Music and Church Musicians in the Florida East Coast Baptist Association. It addressed several concerns, including the declining music literacy among these ministers of music and church musicians, the decreasing use of these musical genres in worship, the need for consistent formational resources at the national, regional, state, district levels of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., and the need for the association to remain relevant. This thesis is grounded in Black liberation theology and aims to promote a radical retrieval of African, African American-centered spirituality. It also seeks to reposition Ministers of Music and Church Musicians as prophetic agents of African and African American theological perspectives and to develop an integrative formational model rooted in African and African American heritage. This thesis followed Robert London Smith’s Black Existential Theological Hermeneutic (BETH) and employed a cross-study method involving an online survey and focus groups with Florida East Coast Baptist Association Ministers of Music and Church Musicians. The research found that Negro Spirituals and traditional African American gospel music are viable formational resources. The research concludes by proposing a formational model that will guide Ministers of Music and Church Musicians in the Florida East Coast Baptist Association towards a more theologically informed practice of music ministry grounded in an African and African American Heritage.