Thinking about How We Gather

Age & Generations, Commitment & Belonging, Congregational Change, Culture Frame, Focus Groups, Process Frame, Thriving Congregations

In recent years, many people have wondered whether new forms of religious gathering might be replacing traditional gatherings like congregations. As the nonaffiliates – better known as “nones” – become an increasing share of the U.S. population, there is every reason to suggest that many existing congregations may not survive. But will that simply leave…

We Will Feast:
Studying New Ways of Congregating

Commitment & Belonging, Culture Frame, Interviews, Participant Observation, Ritual & Worship, Theology Frame, Theology-Feature, Thriving Congregations

I attended my first dinner-church service on a warm Thursday evening in the summer of 2015. As part of my coursework in Food Studies, I’d just completed a semester-long project on the formation of relationships over a meal – what anthropologists call “commensality.” The invitation to this service intrigued me. My own love of the…