Is ”performance” a dirty worship word? Discussion with Marcell Silva Steuernagel

Worship Theology

“Performance” is often a dirty word within popular-level worship training resources. Yet, in a recent monograph, Church Music Through the Lens of Performance, Marcell Steuernagel proposes in worship that “all participants are performing in church music.” Through an interdisciplinary approach focused on performance studies, Steuernagle opens up fresh frameworks for viewing music, identity, and congregational worship.

Against the backdrop of undergraduate texts such as Cherry’s Worship Architect, Leisch’s The New Worship, and the Reinstras’ Worship Words, Dr. Jeremy Perigo and Dr. Marcell Silva Steuernagel sit down at the Society for Christian Scholarship in Music conference to discuss Steuernagel's core content elucidating implications for the performance of Christian worship. This collaborative discussion argues against a bifurcation between worship and performance in the musicking of local churches.