Answers on a Postcard: Photo Elicitation in the Service of Local Ecclesial Strategy

Jon Marlow,Sarah Dunlop

doi:10.1163/22144471-bja10014

Abstract

Abstract This article reports the findings of a practical Theological Action Research project in a Church of England diocese in the UK, using photo elicitation. This image-based approach resulted in findings that echoed existing diocesan strategies, but also highlighted other issues that may otherwise have remained implicit, specifically the mode of mission and concerns regarding growth and survival. The visual data itself is analysed, revealing that the images do not always function as direct signifiers, but instead were generating creative, intuited responses. From the data, four mirrors were developed to reflect back to the groups their responses. This approach enabled local strategies to emerge from within espoused theologies, but also to make explicit their coherence or departure from the normative missiologies of the diocese. Finally, the authors suggest that the exposure of church leaders within training to qualitative research methodologies is releasing a new kind of leadership to emerge.

Highlights

Recent years have seen a shift toward a democratisation of knowledge for professional practice
The responses to all the questions were fed back to participants in an action-research loop, only the responses to the individual questions ‘what via free access might God be calling your church to in the five years?’ and the group question ‘what do you want to be known for as a church in five years’ time?’ were coded and analysed. This was partially due to the capacity of the researchers, and so that the data had a forward-looking perspective and could prompt practical steps forward motivated by a shared picture of the future. Because these responses articulated what participants, both individually and corporately, said they felt called to, they could be taken together to describe the espoused theology of mission within the group
Espoused theology has been identified by Cameron et al as one of the ‘four theological voices’ which need to be attended to by anyone undertaking scholarly Theological Action Research

Summary

Introduction

Recent years have seen a shift toward a democratisation of knowledge for professional practice. Turning to the empirical taps into contemporary thinking around everyday religion[1] and ordinary theology[2] and influences the teaching and training of future church leaders.[3]. This movement has energised an interest in developing creative, qualitative research methods that are able to elicit stories of faith and spirituality. Radford has outlined how ‘creative arts-based’ research methods are generative in terms of eliciting existing conceptions from participants, but the process of working with these creative expressions functions to generate theological knowledge that may have been previously unknown, even to participants themselves.[5] Bennett et al observe that creative arts approaches move beyond being a ‘useful’ research method and enables practical theology to engage with homiletics, liturgy, sacred music and spiritual discipline as ‘creative practices’ in and of themselves.[6]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion