Missional Unity Facilitated through the Shared Praxis Pedagogy of an Improvisatory Music Ritual

Abstract

Justice Jazz, a music ritual offered in September 2020 confirmed that an improvisatory music ritual can facilitate a shared praxis pedagogy that inspires missional unity. Justice Jazz facilitated the pedagogy and the pedagogy inspired missional unity as participants experienced the socio-transformative rhythms of missiology, musicology, and pedagogy.

This same socio-transformative rhythm oscillates continually through practical theological analysis of ontological unity, missional unity, the social harmony and transformative power of music rituals, and the six methodological commitments of the shared praxis pedagogy. The stage is then set for a robust analysis of the Justice Jazz music ritual.

Analysis of qualitative and quantitative research on participants’ experiences during Justice Jazz demonstrated that the music ritual facilitated a shared praxis pedagogy for a high percentage of participants. Research indicated that participants experienced social formation as they viewed themselves as a source of knowledge, shared and received communal insights, understood themselves to be participants in the music ritual, and journeyed from their experience to the Christian story and back to their experience.

Research also indicated that a high percentage of participants experienced transformation as they extended the ritual into their lives by making a commitment to partner with one other person for one hour to meet someone’s need in their community within 30 days of the event.

Analysis of qualitative and quantitative research after the music ritual confirmed that the shared praxis pedagogy facilitated missional unity for sixty-three percent of participants, with both missional partners and recipients of their mission experiencing transformation.

The improvisational planning of future music rituals will enable music rituals to play a pivotal role in the missional unity movement in South Florida.