Indigenous expression in christian worship through agbadza music at the Global Evangelical Church, Kasoa

Abstract

The research work focused on indigenous expression in Christian worship through Agbadza music at the Global Evangelical Church, Kasoa in the Awutu Senya East Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana. The study mainly focused on why the Global Evangelical Church, Kasoa incorporate Agbadza music into the liturgical service. The study was underpinned by Edward Said’s post-colonial theory. A qualitative paradigm approach was used for the study with case study as the research design. The overall population for the study was the entire membership of the Global Evangelical Church, Kasoa. The research focused on 438 congregants of which ten (10) participants were sampled for the study using purposive sampling technique. The main instruments used for data collection were interviews (semi-structured) and observation. Data collected from the interviews were analyzed thematically and discussed in addition to the observations made. The main findings from the study revealed that the performance of Agbadza music has led to the increment of membership in the church. Also, the use of Agbadza music has helped in the growth and development of the Global Evangelical Church, Kasoa. The study also shows the relevance of Agbadza gospel songs in Christian worship and how it has transformed the lives of members in the church. It was concluded that Agbadza gospel songs helped in educating members to live a moral life which is tenement of believers. For Agbadza music to be sustainable in the Global Evangelical Church, Kasoa, it is recommended that, the youth in the church should participate in the performance of Agbadza music during services. Again, there is a need for leaders of the indigenous musical group in the church to regularly organize music seminars and workshops for members to equipped themselves to perform Agbadza music during Christian worship.