Socio-ontological implications of contemporary worship ensembles in the context of cultural globalization

Abstract

This article analyzes the socio-ontological implications of contemporary worship ensembles (“Hillsong, Bethel Music”, “Elevation Worship”) within the context of the global transformation of Christian sacred space. The phenomenon of “Contemporary Worship Music” (CWM) is examined as a musical genre that integrates the aesthetics of popular music, theological narratives, and industrial strategies of the global market. The aim of the study is to identify how worship ensembles, functioning as mediatized operators of sacred experience, influence the ontology of the sacred in contemporary culture, how market logic shapes religious experience, and what consequences the global aestheticization of the sacred has for local spiritual traditions.

The study demonstrates that CWM constitutes a key element of a global socio-ontological shift, wherein musical expressivity facilitates the transition toward individualized, subjective, and aestheticized models of spiritual experience. Worship ensembles operate as multimedia corporations in which the sacred is converted into the aesthetic, subordinated to efficiency and market success. Liturgy acquires the characteristics of a media performance, with advanced technological tools employed to modulate emotional states and achieve “auditory precision”. Among musical means of expression, it is noted that the pursuit of authentic worship is accompanied by the standardization of musical language and the universalization of theological content. The commercial nature of CWM is examined, showing how collective singing is transformed into a licensed product.

The study also considers the activity of Ukrainian worship ensembles as a glocal phenomenon within the globalized context of CWM. It is revealed that in Ukraine, contemporary worship ensembles function as local carriers of national musical culture, reshaping theological, aesthetic, and social models of the sacred.