A Review of the Growth of Yorùbá Church Music among the Baptist Convention Churches in South-Western Nigeria

Yorùbá Church music among the Nigerian Baptist Convention churches in South-western Nigeria has experienced growth in performance practices, human and material resources, and in the quality of musical works from the Yorùbá musical culture. Although there is noticeable musical growth in the area, there is yet the need to review and document the factors responsible for the growth from 1981 to 2021. This study is an attempt to bridge this gap by employing observation and personal discussion with carefully selected music leaders and Pastors, who have served for many decades in each of the Baptist conferences within the scope of the study. This study noted, among others, an increase in recruitment and training of music personnel, increased musical activities in liturgical process and pageantry, increase in documentation of Yorùbá Church as growth indices, music training, missionary activities, continuity and changes in compositional and performance practices, as some of the factors responsible for the growth. It recommends the need for a more specific policy by the church authority on the use of music in liturgy, to further enhance the growth of culturally and theologically relevant church music.