Exploring the Challenges and Benefits of Online Worship within Rural Congregations in The Episcopal Church (USA): Listening to Rural Lay People
Employing data from the Covid-19 & Church-21 Survey that drew responses from 4,536 members of The Episcopal Church (TEC), this study analyses comments made by rural lay people regarding their perceptions of the challenges and benefits of online worship. Challenges identified were few and centred...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Rural theology
Year: 2024, Volume: 22, Issue: 2, Pages: 102-119 |
| Further subjects: | B
Lay People
B Covid-19 B Qualitative Data B Pandemic B The Episcopal Church B online worship |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Employing data from the Covid-19 & Church-21 Survey that drew responses from 4,536 members of The Episcopal Church (TEC), this study analyses comments made by rural lay people regarding their perceptions of the challenges and benefits of online worship. Challenges identified were few and centred on technological and content limitations. The perceived benefits were numerous and included: convenience and accessibility, availability of other church services, connecting with other communities and congregations, and increased opportunity for faith development. Holy Communion and its place in the online space divided opinion. These data are set alongside findings from surveys of Church of England congregations in the UK and of Christian denominations in the USA. Rural lay people in this study saw maintaining both online and in-person provision as the way forward, provided consideration was given to the impact on younger church members and to the financial implications of a such a hybrid model. |
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| ISSN: | 2042-1273 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Rural theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/14704994.2024.2421034 |
