Exploring the Challenges and Benefits of Online Worship within Rural Congregations in The Episcopal Church (USA): Listening to Rural Lay People
McKenna, U. (2024) Exploring the Challenges and Benefits of Online Worship within Rural Congregations in The Episcopal Church (USA): Listening to Rural Lay People. Rural Theology. ISSN 1470-4994
![[img]](https://bgro.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/style/images/fileicons/text.png) |
Text
McKenna_Exploring the Challenges_2024.pdf - Accepted Version Restricted to Repository staff only until 4 May 2026. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial. Download (457kB) |
Abstract
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.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | This is an author accepted manuscript of an article published on 4th November 2024 by Taylor and Francis in Rural Theology. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self archiving policy. |
| Keywords: | Covid-19 pandemic The Episcopal Church lay people online worship qualitative data |
| Depositing User: | Ursula Mckenna |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Nov 2024 15:23 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Nov 2024 15:23 |
| URI: | https://bgro.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/1177 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Edit Item |