“We Can Be Renewed”: Resistance, Renewal, and Worship at the Anchor Fellowship

The Spirit of Praise: Music & Worship in Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity

Co-edited by Monique M. Ingalls and Amos Yong

Penn State University Press: pp. 163–78 (2015)

Abstract

The Anchor Fellowship is a non-denominational charismatic church in Nashville, Tennessee. Formerly a site of resistance, rooted in members’ poor previous church experiences and its prior history as a Vineyard church, the Anchor’s inclusive theology has transformed it into a place of renewal. Live music is integral to worship services, where aesthetics of charismatic worship and rock concerts often overlap. This chapter examines the ways in which the Anchor’s theology, worship practices, and congregational music are co-constitutive. This work participates in a growing literature on contemporary Christian worship music practices and contributes to scholarship that addresses peripheral musical activities.