Research Proposal Paper Sample: Ministering To a Post Church Society

Throughout the start of the 21st century, there has been a steady decline in the number of members in Afrikaans churches in South Africa. Millennials leave or distance themselves with the church because they want to be heard, to participate, and to be accepted. The adoption of technology in the church will bring about a pedagogical approach in ministering to millennials that allows them to be heard, to participate, and to feel accepted.

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Specific Objectives

• To evaluate the role of technology in communication with millennials
• To assess the role of technology in millennials' participation in church activities
• To determine the role of technology in creating a feeling of acceptance for millennials in the church

Research Questions

• How does technology improve communication between the church and millennials?
• How does technology affect millennials' participation in church activities?
• Does technology create a feeling of acceptance among millennial churchgoers?

Literature Review

The church is experiencing a paradigm shift. The millennials live in an era where information and participation are critical. According to White (2015), the era of technology and information has changed the way millennials see the church. The church is no longer the sources of knowledge and wisdom. Millennials can now access vast ranges of information and knowledge available around the clock. In such a time, the church's focus has to change from disseminating knowledge to interpreting and correcting misquoted or misdirected information. According to Bosch (1991), to survive in a new era, a new way is inevitable. New mission responses are necessary for new mission eras (Bosch, 1991). As the digital world changes the rest of the world, millennials are at the epicenter of it. The new generation lives with technology in their everyday activities and the church cannot be an exception. The generation is forcing an inadvertent change in the manner in which the church operates. White (2015) argues that people feel that they can experience a spiritual life without the church. Millennials find the church as inhibition of spirituality. To survive, the church has an inevitable choice to change the manner in which information and knowledge reach the people.

With millennials, technology is a critical part of life that any institution that fails to embrace it seems ancient and uninformed. Millennials use technology in almost every task in their lives. They are always searching for means of interconnection but are very choosy on the style of knowledge dissemination. According to Roehl et al., (2013), millennials particularly despise lecture-style teaching. They prefer a learning style that supports the social aspect of learning (Roehl et al., 2013). The church cannot continue to be a house where people meet to share beliefs. The current generation continuously interacts with people from other religions, cultures, and personalities. For this reason, the generation has vast knowledge. What the millennials lack are mentorship and teaching. However, teaching a group that is so widely knowledgeable more difficult than it may appear. According to Roehl et al. (2013), millennials prefer an active learning environment and participation. The generation is in a quest for authenticity, not knowledge.

Millennials are in a continuous search for truth and authenticity of the church. The church is the representation of the authentic Christian community (Carter, 2001). Millennials experience a vast range of information in the digital world from the secular worldview and other sources. The kind of community they form relies on the information and mentorship available to them. Millennials love learning from others and are in a constant search for knowledge and mentoring. According to Carter (2001), human beings have a constant urge to connect with others. Millennials have the ability to connect with teens and others who share their level of knowledge and understanding. According to Miller (2015), forming a relationship with someone who is accessible and receptive makes the youth feel loved. Deitsch (2012) argues that the church's inability to reach millennials is the major reason behind the decline in congregants. The church has been reluctant to adopt digital information dissemination allowing secularism to capture grow. Loyd (2011) recommends that the church should establish a church that would make sense to the millennials.

Millennials desire opportunities to lead or participate. According to Knoetze (2018), South African millennials believe that everything is possible with participation. South African millennials have a unique background that defines them. Millennials want to take part in making decisions on matters that affect them. Millennials want to make a difference through freedom of interpretation. Millennials want to have the freedom to interpret the bible in their own context and understanding (Dudley & Walshe, 2009). Millennials form communities that shape can transform in biblical means. Millennials want to feel accepted rather than judged. To them, leaving the church does not imply a change in religion or belief. Millennials view their actions as necessary considering the push from the era of information technology. The era of information technology has the ability to reorder the word and how people relate with one another. Hence, millennials want an environment where they can embrace technology like social media. They want to have the freedom to define their faith and transform the world in their context.

Technology has a great influence on the manner in which millennials interact with religion. By reshaping the world, technology has also reshaped the church and its prospective future. Adopting technology under a different religious paradigm is the only way to reshape the Christian worldview to fit the context of the millennials. The future of the church depends on its ability to foster and adopt new technology through digital generation Y. The new generation is already experiencing a rise in institutional distrust (White, 2015). The church cannot afford to be part of the distrust. According to White (2015), the digital era also marks the rise of other religions and interaction among people from different religious groups. As a result, respect and freedom of worship continuously grow in importance.

Methodology

Introduction

This chapter explores the research design and methodology through which the researcher will achieve the study objectives. The chapter provides insights into the tools and means of data collection and analysis.

Research design

The study will employ a survey research design to identify the impact of technology on the church. According to Herman and Schoeman (2015), a survey research design helps explain a phenomenon or the causative relationship between variables. Survey design is a non-experimental research design because it does not give room for the manipulation of the variables. The researcher simply analyzes the situation or tries to establish a link between variables.

Target population

For this study, the population will evaluate an unknown population of church-going youth and non-church going youths from the Afrikaans community in South Africa. However, as of 2014, the Christians between the age of 15 and 24 years accounted for 20% of South African youth (Schoeman, 2017). Assuming a total youth population of approximately 10 million people, Cristian youth consists of 200,000 people.

Sampling

The study will employ random sampling. According to Mugenda and Mugenda (2003), in a study of a heterogeneous population, a 10% sample size is sufficient. Hence, the study will use a sample size of 200 Christian millennials.

Data Collection

The study will employ primary data. The researcher will collect data using self-administered questionnaires.

Data Collection Procedures

The questionnaires will contain open and close-ended. The researcher will send the questionnaire through e-mail and social media.

Validity

To establish the readability rate, the researcher will employ the Flesch-Kincaid readability test. Readability of 10 and above will be considered easily

Reliability

The study will measure reliability using Cronbach's alpha. A 1.7 and above Cronbach alpha is sufficient.

Data Analysis

The researcher will analyze data using SPSS and present it in the form of tables charts and regression equations. The researcher will interpret the data using statistics from the regression model.

References

Bosch, D. J. (1991). Transforming mission: Paradigm shifts in theology of mission (No. 16). Orbis books.

Carter, J. (2001). Virtual Community and The Millennial Generation: An Investigation of Authentic Qualities of Community via The Internet for Canadian Christian Youth(Doctoral dissertation).

Deitsch, C. (2012). Creating a Millennial Generation Contextualized Church Culture.

Dudley, R., & Walshe, A. (2009). Ministering with millennials: A complete report on the 180 symposium.

Hermans, C., & Schoeman, W. J. (2015). Survey research in practical theology and congregational studies. Acta Theologica, 45-63.

Knoetze, J. J. (2018). Marginalised millennials: Conversation or conversion towards a Christian lifestyle in South Africa?. HTS Theological Studies, 74(3), 1-7.

Loyd, D. (2011). Building on the Foundation of the Future: The Millennial Church.

Mugenda, O. M., & Mugenda, A. G. (2003). Research methods. Quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Miller, G. (2015). A Soul Care Teaching and Discipling Model to Aid Millenial Youth in Developing Healthy Relationships with God, Self, and Others in the Nottingham Central Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Roehl, A., Reddy, S. L., & Shannon, G. J. (2013). The flipped classroom: An opportunity to engage millennial students through active learning strategies. Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, 105(2), 44-49.

Schoeman, W. J. (2017). South African religious demography: The 2013 general household survey. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 73(2).White, C. The Ground has Shifted Beneath Our Feet.