Masters Theses

The Master of Music in Church Music program at Baylor is designed to bring students to the highest levels of performance and scholarship. One of the five tracks for this degree is the thesis track. Over the years, students have researched topics of significant value to the worship of the church. Below is a sampling of the students participating in research development and scholarship writing at the masters level. 

In Progress

Kristi Noel (2025)

Completed

Leslie Robinson (2017): Exploring homilies and hymnody : the thematic relationship between George Whitefield’s sermons and A Collection of Hymns for Social Worship. 

This thesis examines George Whitefield’s A Collection of Hymns for Social Worship and presents a thematic analysis of the hymn book’s lyrical content. This research contributes to a fuller understanding of Whitefield’s evangelistic mission, provides a perspective on Whitefield’s views on singing and hymnody, and suggests that the values that motivated Whitefield as a preacher also shaped his decisions as an editor and compiler of hymn texts.  (View PDF Online)

Stephen Cowden (2015): Liturgical inculturation among Baptists in the United States.

Liturgical inculturation seeks to cultivate worship that is meaningful in the church’s context by joining texts and rites with the cultural pattern surrounding the church. This study begins with a brief investigation of historical influences on Baptist liturgical theology and music. It then introduces the study of liturgical inculturation, describing principles and methods developed by Catholic and Protestant liturgists. (View PDF Online)

John A. Lassiter (2013): A history of music ministry at the United States Air Force Academy Chapel with an emphasis on Prestestant Worship, 1954-1984. 

The primary objective of the United States Air Force Academy is to produce quality leaders that serve as officers in the United States Air Force. Many programs at the Academy help accomplish this goal, one of which is the Chapel Music Program. (View PDF Online)

Emily Snider (2012): The Public invitation and "Gospel Hymns Nos. 1 to 6.

Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of traditional evangelical worship is the widespread practice of the “invitation” near the close of the worship service. A significant element of that invitation is the accompanying hymn, one that emphasizes the need for conversion and spiritual renewal. This thesis addresses the origin and early evolution of the public invitation, and more specifically, the hymns that have been used by evangelicals for this part of their worship. (View PDF Online)