Reimagining Our Spirituality: Creating a Kingdom Culture In A Virtual Environment Pubblico

Powers, Esther K. (Spring 2022)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/1544bq40c?locale=it
Published

Abstract

In 2020 the world was sent into an unplanned period of exile as it struggled to address the effects of a global pandemic. The swiftness of the paradigm shift left everyone scrambling to find alternative options  for daily life activities. The church was uniquely impacted as its basic operational mode of assembly abruptly ceased to exist. This impact resonated even more profoundly in the Black Church, which engages in a highly interactive, intimate worship experience and approach to the formation of community both in a spiritual and ministry context. The prolonged exile from the normal patterns of engagement raised a theoretical question centered on the culture and complexities of community as defined within the Black Church context. Can a highly relational and emotional based body of believers particularly in the black church tradition, which is so deeply invested in the physical gathering space, engage a virtual space as a site for community building and spiritual formation? Would it be possible for the Black Church tradition to pivot from its ties to a physical building and develop options to traditional worship and traditional community building that would provide flexibility and still meet the needs of both its parishioners and the community? Indeed it is possible and this project through the exploration of the Black Church’s definitions of spirituality and how it establishes its construct of community will present the argument that it is possible for the black church to reimagine community in the a way that will not only cause it to become more relevant but to also flourish as it redefines the kingdom through digital community spaces that broadens its connections and engagement to create a more inclusive and impactful culture in the kingdom. 

Table of Contents

Section 1 - Introduction

Section 2 - Congregational Context

Section 3 - The Black Church and Digital Space

Section 4 - Community and Spirituality

Section 5 - Innovation: iExperience

Section 6 - Conclusion

Bibliography

Appendix A

Appendix B

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