Perkins in the World: Marcell Silva Steuernagel brings scholarship and worship to Brazil
As another academic year comes to a close, Perkins faculty trade classrooms for communities around the world, carrying their scholarship into churches, conferences and ministry settings. This summer, Perkins is highlighting the global engagement that continues long after final grades have been submitted.
Before arriving in the United States, Silva Steuernagel spent more than two decades in ministry in Brazil. Today, those longstanding relationships continue to influence his research and teaching while he strengthens connections between Perkins and Christian communities across Latin America.
Reconnecting with his roots
Silva Steuernagel’s first engagement took him to Cunha Porã in southern Brazil, where city leaders invited him to lead a daylong workshop titled Music and the Everyday for local musicians.
Although the workshop was not explicitly theological, Silva Steuernagel drew from his experience as a church musician and scholar to demonstrate how music shapes daily life, communities and human experience.
Silva Steuernagel said experiences like these help broaden students' understanding of the global church and its diverse musical traditions.
“The trip offered a fresh perspective on current developments in Latin American worship and church music,” said Silva Steuernagel. “I look forward to helping students explore how those developments are in conversation with North American traditions, highlighting shared concerns between different cultures and their own unique challenges.”
Research-based worship
The trip also included leading worship at Encontrão Nacional, one of the most significant renewal gatherings within Brazil's Lutheran tradition. The three-day event in Santa Catarina brought together more than 1,000 pastors, church leaders and worshipers from across the country to mark a significant anniversary in its history.
Silva Steuernagel drew from the early years of the Lutheran renewal movement in Brazil, helping participants connect their shared history with present-day worship.
"I intentionally placed historic songs alongside newer repertoire in worship to engage with our historic legacy and the newer generation," he said. "That same commitment to connecting tradition, scholarship and contemporary practice shapes the way I teach and mentor students at Perkins."
One image from the trip remains especially vivid.
"It was especially meaningful to watch participants connect songs from the movement's early years with newer expressions of faith and worship," he said. "Moments like these reminded me of music's unique ability to preserve memory while also creating space for renewal and growth."
The experience reflected the interdisciplinary approach that defines Silva Steuernagel's work, integrating historical musical scholarship with worship leadership.
Back to Perkins
The lessons learned in Brazil will now find their way into Perkins classrooms.
Beyond specific musical practices, Silva Steuernagel hopes students gain a deeper appreciation for the global church and the ways Christians around the world navigate continuity and change.
Silva Steuernagel's return to Brazil reflects the value of remaining deeply connected to the communities that have shaped his scholarship and ministry. By engaging with churches and musicians around the world, he brings diverse insights and firsthand experiences back to Perkins, enriching students' understanding of the global church.