Engaging and Researching Congregations Visually: Photovoice in a Mid-Sized Church

Visual research shows promise in the study of congregations. And with so many people carrying cameras to worship services in the form of a smartphone, opportunities abound for those interested in visual approaches to engagement and research. This article explores the potential of a participatory act...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecclesial practices
Main Author: Williams, Roman R. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill [2019]
In: Ecclesial practices
RelBib Classification:AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
RB Church office; congregation
RH Evangelization; Christian media
Further subjects:B Photovoice
B Congregational Studies
B Action Research
B Visual research methods
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
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Description
Summary:Visual research shows promise in the study of congregations. And with so many people carrying cameras to worship services in the form of a smartphone, opportunities abound for those interested in visual approaches to engagement and research. This article explores the potential of a participatory action technique known as photovoice in congregational settings through a case study of a church located in the midwestern region of the United States. Photovoice, it is argued, gives participants permission to discuss matters of personal significance, builds relational bridges across differences (in this case, across different age cohorts), and may help a congregation to see itself from new perspectives. Likewise, the materials produced in a photovoice project comprise a rich collection of data that may be analyzed by a researcher to explore themes central to their research agenda. When used in conjunction with familiar ethnographic practices such as fieldnotes and interviews, photovoice can become a valuable component of a project that pursues both research and engagement.
ISSN:2214-4471
Contains:Enthalten in: Ecclesial practices
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/22144471-00601002