Shannan Baker, PhD

Education

Ph.D., Church Music, Baylor University (2022) 
Th.M., Calvin Theological Seminary (2019) 
M.A. in Worship, Calvin Theological Seminary (2018) 
B.A., Music (Worship Arts), Cornerstone University (2016) 

Academic Interests and Research

Contemporary worship songs and practice; theology of worship; how our theology of worship can inform the songs and practice within the church; digital humanities.

Biography

Dr. Shannan Baker is the Senior Associate for Contemporary Worship Programs.  She is co-PI and manages the Worship Lab Initiative Grant, funded by the Lilly Endowment.  This grant focuses on equipping youth for worship ministry and learning more about youth worship ministry models.  A major component of the grant is the training of youth at the summer camp, Worship Lab, and through one-day workshops throughout the year.  Additionally, her position includes directing the 40 Collective, a student touring worship ensemble.  This ensemble provides instruction and leadership experience for Church Music students.

Dr. Baker endeavors to find ways to connect contemporary worship research with the practice of the church. Primarily, this has occurred through the creation of contemporary worship workshops where students are encouraged to connect their classroom learning with practical applications in a band-led worship style. Dr. Baker has experience playing multiple instruments, including drums (her emphasis for her BA), piano/keys, acoustic guitar, and bass guitar, which allows her to communicate with the various band members. Dr. Baker is a Michigan native, who now lives in Waco and serves the local church through the many gifts with which God has blessed her.

Dissertation

The Mystery, Music, and Markets of Contemporary Worship Songs: An Interdisciplinary Comparison of the CCLI Top 25 and Number-One Songs from 2010-2020

Other Published Works and Book Reviews

Baker, Shannan. “‘There Is a Cloud’: The Holy Spirit in Contemporary Worship Songs.” In The Spirit and the Song: Pneumatological Reflections on Popular Music, edited by Steven Félix-Jäger and Chris Green. Lexington Books, 2024.

Perez, Adam, Shannan Baker, Elias Dummer, Marc Jolicoeur, and Mike Tapper. “‘Do It Again’: Chart-Topping Worship Songs and the Churches Behind Them.” Liturgy, Market Dynamics and Worship Technologies 38 no. 4 (2023).

Baker, Shannan K. “A Typology of Ad-Libbing: Performing Authenticity in Contemporary Worship.” Religions special issue: Performing and Performance in Contemporary Worship (2023), https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/3/337.

Baker, Shannan K. and Monique M. Ingalls. “The Musical Rhetoric of Charismatic Revival: Continuity and Change in the Songs of the Toronto Blessing and Bethel Church.” Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association 42, no. 1 (2022), 17-32.

Baker, Shannan K. “’Seas Of Crimson’”: A Biblical Analysis of Elemental Imagery in Bethel Music’s Lyrics.” Journal of Contemporary Ministry no.6, special issue: Worship and the Megachurch, 2022.

“God Rock Inc.: The Business of Niche Music.” On Reading Religion. July 15, 2020. https://readingreligion.org/books/god-rock-inc 

“The Worship Pastor: A Call to Ministry for Worship Leaders and Teams.” In Calvin Theological Journal 53, no. 2 (November 2018): 507-9. 

Fellowships, Capstones, and Awards

2022 Outstanding Dissertation Award (Humanities), Baylor University
2021 Completion of the Teaching Capstone in Higher Education (TeaCHE), Baylor University
2021 Fundamentals of Data Research Fellowship, Baylor University Libraries
2020-21 Baylor Graduate Student Travel Award
2017 Calvin Institute for Christian Worship Liturgical Studies Award

Courses Taught at Baylor

Engaging with Music
Leadership for Music Ministry
Instrumental Music in the Church
Guitar for Music Ministry
Technology and Keyboards in the Church