Beginning of Research and Lit Reviews
Above is the start of a research web that continues to grow every day. Based upon my interests in how technology is shifting the perspectives of what congregation means today, other points have come up that are necessary to understand. While some of the titles may seem to be in line with the main question in focus, others are more for background knowledge that have been starting to add tangents to the research I am finding. Any and all research is being considered at this time and will continue to grow throughout this semester.
One main topic that much scholarly research includes in their projects is the difference between pre and post Covid. Because the pandemic caused such a drastic cultural shift in how we go about our daily lives, it is not a surprise to find a lot of research that revolves around it.
On top of that, there has also been lots of research on how Christian values have shifted over time, especially through the Millennial generation. Even though the access to technology can be the main factor in the shift to virtual congregations, the root cause is actually the shift from liturgical to individual. Instead of the ritual of church every Sunday, and religious events where people gather in one place during one time, that has started to die off in the newer generations. Millennials started to see marriage and family as an independent factor from the church. Before however, those values were sought after through the church, allowing the church to have legislative power over those ideals. This shift is seen as the root cause of the decline in physical church appearance.
However, because sermons are so easily accessible today and can be watched whenever you want, there has seen an exponential growth in attendance both online and in person.
Another note: social media plays a huge role in attendance as well. Churches have begun to utilize social media platforms to promote their church and appeal to the common people, reaching more people than it has been before. There is a drawback though. Social media is a place where people can see "all" that you do. And more often than not, we compare ourselves to others we see on the internet. With the newer generations, they are so intertwined with how social media has transformed. So much so, that church members with compare themselves to church members and decide their actions and values based on what the media portrays them as. This can cause people to stray away from faith because they compare themselves for no reason instead of seeking God for themselves.
There has been good info so far, yet I still feel like I am searching for the jackpot piece. This may or may not exist, but the research I am finding so far has led me down a few rabbit holes where I can't stop searching. Some of them have been fulfilling, others a dead end. I look forward to continuing this research and see where it takes me.
Hello Ryan, Professor Holland here. This seems like a rich topic, but as I think you can see already, far too broad. The good news is that there seems to be a lot of research, the bad news is that the question is still too wide in scope. In thinking about how you might focus the proposed study, you might give some thought to method: what do you actually want to do? In other words, I could imagine an interview, or survey based inquiry, while I could also imagine a deep dive into the scholarship and the history of the changing role of the physical church architecture over time. Thinking about method might be a way to help shape the question. As another thought, sometimes it can be difficult to overcome our own biases as a researcher if the subject is too personal or close to home. Of course, sometimes this can be an advantage, but not always. Have you given any thought to the possibility of situating this question in a tradition that is not your own, to help with distance and perspective? –Brian
ReplyDeleteHi Ryan, To build a bit upon Brian's comments, and to return to some of the foundational questions, what impact do you ultimately want to have as a result of your inquiry? I do think the use of the word web that you began is extremely helpful. I was curious about the "responsibility for Church in society" and how that has been part of your ongoing research. Finally, is there a design aspect to what you are asking?
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