Young Voices in Worship

Two Grebel alumni, Sarah Kathleen Johnson (BA 2007, MTS 2008) and Mykayla Turner (BSC 2020, MTS 2024), are asking these very questions through a collaboration on the Young People and Christian Worship study. This research project aims to shape better conversations about teenagers, emerging adults, and Christian worship by valuing their experiences as an important theological voice. “Young people can enrich the theology and practice of all worshipers,” explained Sarah, a principal investigator. Sarah and her co-principal investigators Nelson Cowan and Emily Snider Andrews plan to publish a book to share their research with scholars, pastors, and worship leaders. 

This project builds on Sarah’s previous scholarship. “My research values the lived experience of ordinary worshipers, especially those whose perspectives have been historically marginalized in the church and the academy—this includes young people,” she said. “My research is committed to responding to the concrete needs of the church.” She added, “I am also invested in engaging ecumenically across Christian traditions and to interrogating the relationship between Christian worship and social justice.” Sarah’s recent book, Occasional Religious Practice: Valuing a Very Ordinary Religious Experience (Oxford University Press, 2025), is another example of her approach.  

Mykayla’s role involves putting ideas into action and collecting qualitative data. Last summer she conducted interviews, focus groups, and participant observation at several worship-related camps, including Ontario Mennonite Music Camp at Grebel. As co-director of the camp, she performed research alongside her director duties.  

 At this point, patterns are only beginning to emerge. “One pattern that stands out in this very early stage is the diversity of perspectives of young worshipers,” shared Sarah. “This includes diversity among different Christian traditions and diversity within each tradition.” 

“Young people demonstrate a great deal of curiosity and openness when it comes to experiencing worship practices or styles that are unfamiliar to them,” added Mykayla. “Our qualitative data shows many interviewees engaging in thoughtful reflection on how, for instance, a Catholic mass might be very meaningful for other people even if it’s a confusing experience for someone who regularly participates in evangelical worship.” 

“Studying young people and Christian worship is a surprising return to the focus of the MTS thesis I wrote at Grebel in 2008, which explored theological and pastoral questions associated with the integration of youth into worship leadership in Anabaptist Mennonite congregations,” Sarah reflected. “Opportunities that I had as a teenager and emerging adult to be involved in worship leadership and teaching others about worship, including at Grebel, fueled my interest in studying Christian practices and led to a vocation and career in liturgical scholarship.” She now works as Assistant Professor of Liturgy and Pastoral Theology at Saint Paul University in Ottawa. 

As a PhD student in liturgical studies under Sarah’s supervision, Mykayla notices how her research interests have evolved.  “My scholarship has moved from a focus on music in worship while I was earning a Master of Sacred Music degree to the entire context of a worship service,” she explained. “I can take seriously a young person’s reflection on music while also understanding how it relates to the rest of the service.” 

Both Sarah and Mykayla trace their current work back to foundational experiences at Grebel. “I would not be completing doctoral work in liturgical studies or assisting with this research project if it were not for the role that Grebel and Professor Kate Steiner played in introducing me to this academic field,” Mykayla said. “Participation in Grebel’s worship practicum course was an especially formative experience, as I worked with other students of different backgrounds to plan and lead a worship service for local churches.”