A Phenomenological Study of In-Church and Televised Worship

Abstract

This article develops a phenomenology of in-church worship and then compares how people experience worship in-church with worship via television. This research uses a semiotic phenomenological methodology to study in-depth the lived experience of in-church worship. It uses descriptions provided by participants to develop emergent themes and an interpretation of in-church worship. Finally, it uses these themes and interpretation to compare the experiences of worshipping in-church with worshipping by television. The importance of worship to the life of the believer is universally recognized. Both liturgical theologians and churchgoers alike note the importance of worshipping in church. While it is valuable to understand the theological reasons for the importance of worship, it is likewise important to understand the perspective of the worshippers themselves, and to interpret how they describe the experience. The interpretation of first-hand descriptions of worship is a contribution qualitative research in general, and phenomenological research in particular, may make to understanding the importance of worship. The interest of the present study is not only to understand the importance of worship from first-hand descriptions but also to consider how the experience of in-church worship compares to that of televised worship. Televised worship programs have become a significant subgenre of religious television. From slick nationwide televised services to local services recorded on camcorders, television audiences and churchgoers have the opportunity to experience worship services via television. But does the medium make possible a true appreciation of worship experience? Existing studies of religious television shed light on various genres (such as religious news, talk, variety, children's, testimonial and worship programs) from the perspectives of sociology, political science, psychology, behaviorism, statistical audience analysis, content analysis, cultural studies and ethnography. All of these studies provide important insights into the phenomenon of religious television; yet studies using an existential phenomenological approach are needed. This study seeks to add to the critical literature by using semiotic phenomenology to study one subgenre of religious television - televised worship. Inasmuch as research studies using semiotic phenomenological methodology have burgeoned largely over the past decade, studies of in-church worship likewise are needed. How do people experience worship in church? In existential terms, why do worshippers value the experience? Finally, how does worshipping in church compare with experiencing televised worship, and are the differences significant? To answer these questions, this study develops a semiotic phenomenology of in-church worship and then compares the lived experience of in-church worship with televised worship.