Participatory Action Research as Trinitarian Praxis and a Pedagogical Model for the Suburban Congregation

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article argues that Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology is both a trinitarian praxis and a helpful pedagogical model for the local, suburban church. The basis of this argument stems from data gathered during a PAR project conducted among suburban Lutheran congregations in 2014. The initial intention of this project was to explore how an increased awareness and understanding of the social Trinity might impact the ideation and praxis of spiritual formation in suburban Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregations. The findings of the research team indicated that the process of PAR itself was the way in which the team experienced the social Trinity and was a preferred method of engaging adult learning in the local church context. The primary finding from the data was that the PAR methodology, as it was applied in this project, facilitated deep reflection and reflective action among the research team members, and this was the transformative piece for them. This article will articulate the process of the project and offer some practical implications for religious educators in a suburban church context.