Congregational Studies Worldwide

Congregational Studies Worldwide

Author: Thorsten Latzel

Publisher: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt

Published: 2017-05-01

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 3374049036

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In the Christian churches, and in Protestantism in particular, the local gatherings of the faithful –parish and non-territorial free congregations – are of crucial importance. Viewed from a global perspective, they offer an extremely popular format and are growing, as for example in China and Latin America. In central and northern Europe, on the other hand, the Protestant parish and its congregation tend rather to be in decline. What is the current situation of church parishes and congregations? This book presents research into this topic from all over the world. China is among the countries represented, as are the United States (as the "motherland" of the autonomous congregation), Switzerland, Germany and Scandinavia. The researchers have identified and defined a number of different lines of development. Ecclesiastical sociologists, sociologists of religion, and indeed everybody who is interested in the future of Protestantism will find some new insights into an old topic here. [Internationale Studien zur Kirchgemeinde. Die Zukunft der Pfarrbezirke und der Autonomen Kirchgemeinden] In den christlichen Kirchen, besonders in den protestantischen, kommt den lokalen Gemeinden (congregations, parishes) eine zentrale Bedeutung zu. In globaler Perspektive gesehen sind sie ausgesprochen populär und wachsen z. B. in China und Lateinamerika. In Mittel- und Nordeuropa hingegen nimmt protestantisch-gemeindliches Leben eher ab. Wie stellt sich die Situation der Kirchgemeinde heute dar? In diesem Buch werden diesbezügliche Forschungen aus aller Welt vorgestellt. China ist ebenso vertreten wie die USA – das "Mutterland" der autonomen Kirchgemeinde –, die Schweiz, Deutschland und Skandinavien. Unterschiedliche Entwicklungswege werden herausgearbeitet. Religions- und Kirchensoziologen – und alle die an der Zukunft des Protestantismus interessiert sind – finden hier neue Einsichten in ein altes Thema! Autoren sind u. a. Nancy Ammerman, Mark Chaves, Eberhard Hauschildt und Jörg Stolz.


Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide

Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide

Author: Monique M. Ingalls

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-04-09

Total Pages: 267

ISBN-13: 1351391682

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What does it mean for music to be considered local in contemporary Christian communities, and who shapes this meaning? Through what musical processes have religious beliefs and practices once ‘foreign’ become ‘indigenous’? How does using indigenous musical practices aid in the growth of local Christian religious practices and beliefs? How are musical constructions of the local intertwined with regional, national or transnational religious influences and cosmopolitanisms? Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide explores the ways that congregational music-making is integral to how communities around the world understand what it means to be ‘local’ and ‘Christian’. Showing how locality is produced, negotiated, and performed through music-making, this book draws on case studies from every continent that integrate insights from anthropology, ethnomusicology, cultural geography, mission studies, and practical theology. Four sections explore a central aspect of the production of locality through congregational music-making, addressing the role of historical trends, cultural and political power, diverging values, and translocal influences in defining what it means to be ‘local’ and ‘Christian’. This book contends that examining musical processes of localization can lead scholars to new understandings of the meaning and power of Christian belief and practice.


World Christian Encyclopedia

World Christian Encyclopedia

Author: David B. Barrett

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 860

ISBN-13:

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The expanded, updated edition of a classic reference source--the comprehensive survey of the status of thje world's largest religion in 238 countries. Many tables, charts, diagrams, maps, photographs, and a rich text present a unmatched look at 33,800 Christian denominations, 12,000 dioceses, 5,000 missions, and other groups--all -set against a detailed historical, political, social, cultural, demographic, background.


Singing the Congregation

Singing the Congregation

Author: Monique M. Ingalls

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-09-17

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0190499656

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Contemporary worship music shapes the way evangelical Christians understand worship itself. Author Monique M. Ingalls argues that participatory worship music performances have brought into being new religious social constellations, or "modes of congregating". Through exploration of five of these modes--concert, conference, church, public, and networked congregations--Singing the Congregation reinvigorates the analytic categories of "congregation" and "congregational music." Drawing from theoretical models in ethnomusicology and congregational studies, Singing the Congregation reconceives the congregation as a fluid, contingent social constellation that is actively performed into being through communal practice--in this case, the musically-structured participatory activity known as "worship." "Congregational music-making" is thereby recast as a practice capable of weaving together a religious community both inside and outside local institutional churches. Congregational music-making is not only a means of expressing local concerns and constituting the local religious community; it is also a powerful way to identify with far-flung individuals, institutions, and networks that comprise this global religious community. The interactions among the congregations reveal widespread conflicts over religious authority, carrying far-ranging implications for how evangelicals position themselves relative to other groups in North America and beyond.


Christian Congregational Music

Christian Congregational Music

Author: Monique Ingalls

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-05-23

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 1317166787

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Christian Congregational Music explores the role of congregational music in Christian religious experience, examining how musicians and worshippers perform, identify with and experience belief through musical praxis. Contributors from a broad range of fields, including music studies, theology, literature, and cultural anthropology, present interdisciplinary perspectives on a variety of congregational musical styles - from African American gospel music, to evangelical praise and worship music, to Mennonite hymnody - within contemporary Europe and North America. In addressing the themes of performance, identity and experience, the volume explores several topics of interest to a broader humanities and social sciences readership, including the influence of globalization and mass mediation on congregational music style and performance; the use of congregational music to shape multifaceted identities; the role of mass mediated congregational music in shaping transnational communities; and the function of music in embodying and imparting religious belief and knowledge. In demonstrating the complex relationship between ’traditional’ and ’contemporary’ sounds and local and global identifications within the practice of congregational music, the plurality of approaches represented in this book, as well as the range of musical repertoires explored, aims to serve as a model for future congregational music scholarship.


Studying Local Churches

Studying Local Churches

Author: Helen Cameron

Publisher: SCM Press

Published: 2005-03-31

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 0334029600

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This practical handbook - aimed at final year undergraduates, Masters-level students, student ministers, church leaders and policy makers interested in local faith communities - guides readers through the various tools, methods of analysis and research skills needed for studying local churches. This resource takes full account of the UK context and is an ideal basis for students undertaking research projects and dissertations. After an historical overview. the handbook identifies theoretical foundations for the study of local churches, drawing on the 4 disciplines of anthropology, sociology, organisational studies and theology. Guidance is provided on both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Research processes covered include such issues as selecting a church, gaining access, selecting methods,analysing data, maintaining confidentiality, research reflexivity, and completing the final report. There is also a critical review of existing literature, as well as case studies and worked examples, demonstrating how key concepts from the 4 disciplines apply to actual local churches.The handbook contains a wide range of contributors with extensive theoretical and practical experience of studying local churches.


Congregations in Europe

Congregations in Europe

Author: Christophe Monnot

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-05-14

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 3319772619

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This volume describes and maps congregations of Christian confessions and denominations, as well as groups with Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, and various other spiritual faiths, in different European countries. Consisting of three parts, it presents concrete sociological studies addressing how established and not established, old and new congregations of various faiths create a new kind of religious diversity at the country level; how religious congregations are challenged and thrive in large cities; and how religious congregations change in the 21st century. The book enlightens by its descriptive analysis and the theoretical questions it raises concerning the religious transformations happening all over Europe. It addresses issues of religious diversity in the cities of Europe by presenting large studies conducted in cities such as Barcelona in Spain, and Aarhus in Denmark. By means of large-scale censuses taken in areas such as North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany and in countries like Switzerland and Italy, the book shows how the historically established churches restructure their congregations and activities. It clarifies for the new gatherers where and how a new diversity of religious congregations is in the process of being established. Finally, the book covers two important topical issues: pluralisation and secularisation. It provides new data on religious diversity, painting a new picture of secularisation: the impact and structural consequences of the long-term decrease of membership in the established churches.


Congregational Studies in the UK

Congregational Studies in the UK

Author: Karin Tusting

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-03-02

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 1351949608

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This book presents the first comprehensive introduction to congregational studies in the UK. Through a series of innovative essays, it explores the difference that the increasingly post-Christian nature of British society is making to life in Christian congregations, and compares this to the very different scenario which exists in the USA. Contributions from leading scholars in the field include rich case studies of local communities and theoretical analyses which reflect on issues of method and develop broader understandings. Congregational studies is revealed as a rich and growing field of interest to scholars across many disciplines and to those involved in congregational life.


Studying Congregational Music

Studying Congregational Music

Author: Andrew Mall

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-02-15

Total Pages: 373

ISBN-13: 0429959656

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Studying the role of music within religious congregations has become an increasingly complex exercise. The significant variations in musical style and content between different congregations require an interdisciplinary methodology that enables an accurate analysis, while also allowing for nuance in interpretation. This book is the first to help scholars think through the complexities of interdisciplinary research on congregational music-making by critically examining the theories and methods used by leading scholars in the field. An international and interdisciplinary panel of contributors introduces readers to a variety of research methodologies within the emerging field of congregational music studies. Utilizing insights from fields such as communications studies, ethnomusicology, history, liturgical studies, popular music studies, religious studies, and theology, it examines and models methodologies and theoretical perspectives that are grounded in each of these disciplines. In addition, this volume presents several “key issues” to ground these interpretive frameworks in the context of congregational music studies. These include topics like diaspora, ethics, gender, and migration. This book is a new milestone in the study of music amongst congregations, detailing the very latest in best academic practice. As such, it will be of great use to scholars of religious studies, music, and theology, as well as anyone engaging in ethnomusicological studies more generally.


Big Ideas in Public Relations Research and Practice

Big Ideas in Public Relations Research and Practice

Author: Finn Frandsen

Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing

Published: 2019-10-03

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 1838675078

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Drawing on contributions from the 2018 congress of the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA), this volume explores and analyses challenges around communication, management and big ideas to present findings from current research in corporate communication.