Last Saturday, April 5, 2025, a conference titled “Musical Creativity in Churches of the Reformation Heritage in Croatia 1990–2020” was held at BC Dubrava in Zagreb, organized by the Biblical Institute of Zagreb and the Institute for Church Music and Worship of our university college.
The conference served as an opportunity for theologians and musicians, worship leaders, researchers, students, and the general public to come together and discuss the history of musical creativity within churches of the Reformation heritage in Croatia from various perspectives.
Speakers at the conference included Stanko Jambrek, Danijel Časni, Ervin Budiselić, Danijela Župančić, Roko Bunčić, Andrej Grozdanov, and many others. Representing our university college, the head of the Institute, Judita Paljević Kraljik, gave a presentation analyzing the role of music in the theology of worship. From the perspective of biblical theology and worship theology, her thesis was that worship, as found in the Bible, inherently includes music, which serves to educate the congregation about theological truths and influences the depth of worship to the level of lifelong devotion.
The university college librarian, Matej Sakač, presented on the history of hymnals in the Republic of Croatia, considering denominational differences and external influences. His lecture aimed to explore the publishing of Protestant hymnals in Croatia between 1990 and 2020.
For many attendees, this was the first opportunity to hear about musical creativity, history, and trends within the churches, and the conference concluded with a desire to continue the conversation on these topics. It emphasized the importance of theology in songs, harmonizing translations, supporting authors in the creation of new original worship songs, and involving a broader circle of people in this work.
Many thanks to our partners at BIZG – the Biblical Institute of Zagreb and BC Dubrava!
