An Ethnodoxological Approach to Developing a Worship Leader Training Program in Infanta, Quezon, Philippines

Although there has been an increase in pastor training programs in the Philippines to fulfill the need created by the steady growth of evangelical church plants, there are few initiatives to create worship leader training programs. Worship is central to the evangelical church, and music plays an important role in the spiritual formation of believers in churches throughout the world. However, because of worship theology constructs and the implications of Filipino culture for worship contextualization, more attention must be given to equipping worship leaders for ministry in the Philippines. This study sought to identify the training and resources needed to adequately equip Filipino worship leaders and to suggest an ethnodoxologically sound curriculum for Jireh Phil-AM (JPA) Ministries as they seek to develop a worship leader training program in Infanta, Quezon, Philippines. Utilizing the Constructivist Grounded Theory approach, pastors and other church leaders associated with JPA Ministries were surveyed and interviewed, worship services of churches associated with JPA Ministries were observed and analyzed, worship workshops were performed and evaluated, and service documents were collected and analyzed. Results included determining local church leaders’ understanding of worship leadership and identifying the resources and training needed to equip worship leaders for ministry. This research provides practical insights that JPA Ministries can adopt or adapt to develop a worship leader training program in the Philippines. Since this study is based on scriptural and ethnodoxological foundations, the research process may be replicable in other cultures, allowing for the development of programs and resources for worship leaders within other contexts.