Church Members Research Articles

Equipping Faith-Based Communities for Cancer Support Ministry: A Pilot Study of Cancer Support Training for Members of African-American Churches in the USA.

Church-academic partnerships focused on cancer, generally target cancer screening and prevention, with few focusing explicitly on cancer survivors. With the population of cancer survivors steadily increasing, highlighting the value of faith-based cancer support ministry is paramount. However, many churches may not have the resources to integrate relevant cancer support ministry and may need to identify ways to reach cancer survivors. We piloted cancer support training to help church members to start a cancer support ministry with African-American churches in Milwaukee, WI. We sought to measure the feasibility of a two-day training workshop to build the capacity of churches through recruiting and training church members on how to foster social support and to disseminate cancer information and resources throughout their churches. Our study was guided by the social networks and social support framework, which we applied to cancer survivorship. Our study supports the feasibility of engaging churches in a virtual training to support the development of cancer support ministries to address the needs of African-American cancer survivors. Based on our recruitment success, workshop attendance, evaluation and retention, our results suggest that a two-day workshop was successful in facilitating the initiation of cancer support ministries within African-American churches.

Persepsi Identitas Diri sebagai Anggota Gereja di Kalangan Orang Muda Katolik

The issue of identity as a member of the Church comes to the fore and is purified when placed within the framework of diversity and relationships with other ecclesiastical communities. Ecumenism is an effort to restore the unity of the Christian Church that emerges from the diversity of the Christian communities. In this case, identity as a member of a particular Church can actually grow and be enriched by these relationships. This article explores the self-perception of young Catholics as members of the Catholic Church amidst the diversity of the ecclesiastical communities. Using Paul Murray’s concept of Catholic learning, it observes how young people discover the uniqueness of their existence as members of the Catholic Church. Within this perspective, the Church instills an attitude of mutual respect and acceptance of the elements of truth within the Church itself and within other ecclesiastical communities. The author observes the ways of carrying out the Catholic learning by conducting an exploration of perceptions of self-identity among the Catholics, which aim to build an attitude of mutual respect, mutual acceptance, and mutual enrichment of each other. In this effort, the focus is directed towards young people who can be expected to witness as well as to learn from other ecclesiastical communities and that dialogue can be a means of purifying their identity.

Responding well to Spiritual Abuse: practice implications for counselling and psychotherapy

ABSTRACT This paper presents the findings of a survey exploring people's understandings and experiences of Spiritual Abuse (SA) in a Christian faith context. The online survey was completed by 1591 individuals from the UK, 1002 of whom identified as having experienced SA. Inclusion criteria were: membership of the Christian faith, being or having been, a Church attender or member of a Christian organisation and having heard of the term SA. Participants detailed features of an effective response to disclosures of SA, many of these are directly relevant to counselling and psychotherapy practice. The findings echo calls in previous research for including discussions of religion and faith in training and CPD for counsellors and psychotherapists. Finally, the paper suggests the establishment of a network of counsellors with training and knowledge about SA.

Neighborhood-level social determinants of health and cardioprotective behaviors among church members in New Orleans, Louisiana

BackgroundFavorable neighborhood-level social determinants of health (SDoH) are associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk. Less is known about their influence on cardioprotective behaviors. We evaluated the associations between neighborhood-level SDoH and cardioprotective behaviors among church members in Louisiana. MethodsParticipants were surveyed between November 2021 to February 2022, and were asked about health behaviors, aspects of their neighborhood, and home address (to link to census tract and corresponding social deprivation index [SDI] data). Logistic regression models were used to assess the relation of neighborhood factors with the likelihood of engaging in cardioprotective behaviors: 1) a composite of healthy lifestyle behaviors [fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and a tobacco/nicotine-free lifestyle], 2) medication adherence, and 3) receipt of routine medical care within the past year. ResultsParticipants (n = 302, mean age: 63 years, 77% female, 99% Black) were recruited from 12 churches in New Orleans. After adjusting for demographic and clinical factors, perceived neighborhood walkability or conduciveness to exercise (odds ratio [OR]=1.25; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.53), availability of fruits and vegetables (OR=1.23; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.42), and social cohesion (OR=1.55; 95% CI: 1.22, 1.97) were positively associated with the composite of healthy lifestyle behaviors. After multivariable adjustment, SDI was in the direction of association with all three cardioprotective behavior outcomes, but associations were not statistically significant. ConclusionsIn this predominantly Black, church-based population, neighborhood-level SDoH including the availability of fruits and vegetables, walkability or conduciveness to exercise, and social cohesion were associated with cardioprotective behaviors. Findings reiterate the need to address adverse neighborhood-level SDoH in the design and implementation of health interventions.

Participatory Action Research Strategy: The Role of Culture in the Transformation of Religious Development

This paper aims to explain the effective cultural approach strategies in the development of the Catholic religion in St. Herman Yoseph Riangkemie, Larantuka Diocese. The approach begins with studying the cultural values of the local community and integrating them with Catholic religious values to be applied in the community's life, with the goal of changing the local community's perception of the religion. The research method used in this study is qualitative with a participatory action research approach. The results of religious development using this cultural approach have shown success in increasing the community's awareness to engage in religious activities and enhancing their sense of responsibility in religious development. This approach has significantly helped increase the number of Catholic Church members in the area.

On the Formation of a Pentecostal Ecclesial Identity in Light of John Zizioulas’ Theology of Communion

This article explores implications of John D. Zizioulas's theology of freedom in communion for the formation of a Pentecostal ecclesial identity. I examine the interplay between divine and ecclesial relations as presented by Zizioulas, considering individuality and communal identity within Pentecostalism. I call for a nuanced exploration of individualism that recognises its complexity and suggests that an integrated approach to individuality and communion can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of human identity and freedom within the Christian context. Finally, I address how a Pentecostal understanding of the Spirit's participation in ecclesial practices may impact the empowerment of church members, especially in relation to spiritual gifts and leadership roles.

Religion and mental health in young adulthood: a register-based study on differences by religious affiliation in sickness absence due to mental disorders in Finland

BackgroundReligiosity and spirituality are known to be positively correlated with health. This is the first study to analyse the interrelation between religious denomination and sickness absence due to mental disorders...

Rebuilding the broken walls of Zimbabwe with the Church, leadership and followership

Biblically and historically, Christianity is meant to enlighten people, transform lives, and develop responsible and effective leaders and followers who influence life-building change across generations and borders. Somehow, even while churches mushroom everywhere, selfishness, irresponsible citizenship, moral decadence, systematic corruption, and related travails proliferate and are sinking Zimbabwe into monumental political, economic and social crises. Meanwhile, the holistic mission of the Church has been narrowed down to proclamation, while demonstration of the gospel has lost attention, and the integral mission has become socialised and secularised. As a result, Christian principles of leadership and followership, such as stewardship, servanthood, responsible citizenship and all-encompassing service delivery, have become correspondingly elusive. The ruling government of Zimbabwe has been militantly silencing dissenting voices and the nation has a dire need for a prophetic voice to speak about reformation. Meanwhile the Church is sheepish, divided, erratic, somewhat inaudible and this submission addresses that gap. Some Church members appear helpless and hopeless, while countless others are migrating to cool off in neighbouring countries, to seek greener pastures, political and socio-economic relief. Thus, many Zimbabweans – those who are scattered and those still in Zimbabwe – are in critical need of a great revival. By reflecting on the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s broken walls by Nehemiah, and employing an in-depth analysis of available transformational leadership and Christian literature, this article calls for an inclusive, spiritual, strategic and integrally missionary revival, to achieve a revolutionary transformation of leadership, followership, and nation building.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article interfaces ecclesiology and transformational leadership with politics for inclusive transformation.

Associations Between Sociodemographic Variables, Social Determinants of Health, and Diabetes: Findings From a Congregational Health Needs Assessment.

To examine associations between sociodemographic variables, social determinants of health (SDOHs) and diabetes using health needs assessment data. Cross-sectional study. Faith-based communities in the Mid-South U.S. Of the 378 churches, 92 participated in the study (24% response rate); N = 828 church leaders and members completed the survey. The Mid-South Congregational Health Survey assessed perceived health-related needs of congregations and the communities they serve. Generalized linear mixed modeling examined the associations between sociodemographic variables (age, sex, race/ethnicity, educational level), SDOHs (affordable healthcare, healthy food, employment), and diabetes. Individuals with less education had lower odds of reporting all SDOHs as health needs compared to individuals with more education (ORrange = .59-.63). Men had lower odds of reporting diabetes as a health need or concern compared to women (OR = .70; 95% CI = .50, .97). African Americans had greater odds of reporting diabetes as a health need compared to individuals in the 'Other' race/ethnicity category (OR = 3.91; 95% CI = 2.20, 6.94). Individuals who reported affordable healthcare (OR = 2.54; 95% CI = 1.73, 3.72), healthy food (OR = 2.24; 95% CI = 1.55, 3.24), and employment (OR = 3.33; 95% CI = 2.29, 4.84) as health needs had greater odds of reporting diabetes as a health need compared to those who did not report these SDOHs as needs. Future studies should evaluate strategies to merge healthcare and faith-based organizations' efforts to address SDOHs impacting diabetes.

The Theo-Politics of Ritual: Defining and Contesting the Sacred Order of the Church

Abstract Both sociology of religion and statistical bodies within the Catholic Church approach the question of church membership in similar ways: they take participation in religious ritual as a benchmark of affiliation to a religious community. What seems to be a straightforward criterion for measuring membership actually speaks to a complex interplay in the constitution of political and cosmological order: the constitution of social order through practices such as religious rituals is, irreducibly, also a definition of the ‘extraordinary’. Thus, starting from the assumption that the formation of community is a political–theological practice of boundary-drawing that cannot but refer to a beyond, this article offers a theological critique of ritual participation as a criterion of ecclesial affiliation. Taking the performance ‘Verantwort: ich’ (Synodaler Weg, 2023) as a case, it shows that it rests on a theological concept of transcendence that is used as a hegemonic instrument to confirm the established order of belonging in the church. Arguing that the definition of ecclesial boundaries is an irreducibly powerful, even violent theo-political practice, it asks which theological notion of transcendence can best reckon with, and consequently offer tools for managing, rather than concealing, the normative violence that is at the heart of the question of who belongs to the church.

DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS ON THE ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE MUSIC TEAM IN A WORSHIP

The present study is conducted to explore the roles and functions of the worship music team as shown at the curch of GPdI Karmel Tataaran II. This qualitative study uses primary and secondary data. The primary data are obtained through interview from the members of the church and the members of the music team of the church. The primary data are also collected through direct observation. On the other hand, the secondary data comes from the documentation of the previous relevant research and the digital sources from the internet. The obtained data are then analyzed using interactive data analysis which consists of the steps of data reduction, data display, and conclusion or verification. The findings show that the worship music team at the church of GPdI Karmel Tataaran II has a very important role in the worship experiences of the church members. The worship music team help the church members to have praying experiences full of happiness, to have a close relationship with the God, and to create a harmonic and happy atmosphere during the worship. The findings have important implications for the development of church worship and the enhancement of the music team's role in supporting worship objectives. Theoretically and practically, this research contributes to further understanding of the dynamics of music teams in Pentecostal churches.

PENTINGNYA SAKRAMEN BAPTIS BAGI KESELAMATAN MENURUT KATEKISMUS GEREJA KATOLIK

This article discusses the Catholic Church's view of the Sacrament of Baptism as a sign and means of salvation for the faithful. The author developed his writing based on the theological ideas contained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. So, based on official Church documents, the author attempts to explain that the sacrament of baptism is not only an entry point for Church membership but also that baptism offers spiritual fruits that are useful for the salvation of believers. By baptism, the people are united to Christ both in death and also in His resurrection. This is why the sacrament of Baptism still plays such an important role in the Catholic Church.

Religion and Fertility: A Longitudinal Register Study Examining Differences by Sex, Parity, Partner's Religion, and Religious Conversion in Finland.

We use longitudinal data on religious affiliation in Finland to examine childbearing behavior. All analyses are based on detailed fertility information from the Finnish national register of each person's religious denomination for men and women born in 1956-1975. We identify higher fertility according to parity among members of the Evangelical Lutheran state church and other Protestant churches, and lower fertility among individuals with no religious affiliation. Most other religious groups-Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, and adherents of Eastern religions-have intermediate levels of fertility. We also find that religious converts, that is, those observed with more than one religious denomination over their life course, typically are similar to the non-converts of the group they convert to, though with more distinct deviations from the Finnish population. Women show larger differences by religious affiliation than men. We find the largest differences across religions when we examine the proportion of childless men and women. Overall, differences between religious groups are rather modest, and childbearing patterns are quite similar. Our results provide, to our knowledge, the first examination of religion and fertility using national-level longitudinal data.

Christian Education in Colonial and Post-Independent Zimbabwe: A Paradigm Shift

Since the arrival of Christianity in Africa during the pre-colonial era, one of the main characteristics of its spread has been Christian Education (CE). The achievements made thus far by missionaries and African Christian communities were based on the Church-based Christian Education programs that were put into place by churches created by missionaries. Education, let alone Christian Education, has a key role to play in the transformation of every society. The problem is that the type of Christianity and Christian Education introduced sought to uproot Africans from their identity, culture, and language. Christian Education has a crucial role in changing the perspective of citizens to one that is Euro-centric and in promoting effective discipleship and strong doctrinal allegiance among members of mainline churches. Even though Christianity has undergone meaningful change over time, its many manifestations still survive in diverse 21st-century societies. Christianity, just like African Traditional Religion, has permeated every sphere and life of the Zimbabweans. The prospects of Christian Education to foster a positive society’s transformation in Zimbabwe are great and accepted. Two types of Christianity were introduced to Africa: Afro-centric Christianity and Euro-centric Christianity.

An investigation of the Catholic Church’s viewpoint on miraa production and consumption in Igembe Deanery, Meru Diocese

The study sought to investigate the Catholic Church’s viewpoint on miraa production and consumption in Igembe Deanery, Meru Diocese, Kenya. The study employed a descriptive research design. Data were obtained from oral interviews, focus group discussions, questionnaires, primary and secondary sources, and participant observation to ensure the study's validity and reliability. The study was based on the Structural-Functionalism and Social Conflict theory in order to establish the viewpoint of the Catholic Church on miraa production and usage in Igembe Deanery despite the CC policies on drugs of all kinds except on therapeutic grounds. A sample of 348 of the 3614 church members in Igembe Deanery was chosen for the study. Ten (10) priests, eight (8) catechists, ten (10) elders, ten (10) farmers, ten (10) traders and three hundred (300) church members from sampled parishes of Igembe Deanery were used as key informants. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages, tables and the mean were used in analysing data. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 27.0 was used to analyse the data. This study’s findings were that the Catholic Church in Igembe Deanery, Diocese of Meru, views miraa as the main source of livelihood for Christians, and miraa's economic, socio-cultural, religious, and educational functions are the main reasons for the Catholic Church in Igembe Deanery to accept Khat's production and consumption. This study recommends that the church in Africa needs to enhance efficient and effective Christianity by enhancing the inculturation of Christianity in Africa.

Reach and Capacity of Black Protestant Health Ministries as Sites of Community-Wide Health Promotion: A Qualitative Social Ecological Model Examination.

Black communities in the Southeast United States experience a disproportionate burden of illness and disease. To address this inequity, public health practitioners are partnering with Black Protestant churches to deliver health promotion interventions. Yet, the reach of these programs beyond the organizational level of the Social Ecological Model (SEM) is not well defined. Thus, the aim of this study is to understand Black Protestant church leaders' and members' perceptions about the capacity of their ministries to reach into their communities, beyond their congregations, as providers or hosts of health education or promotion interventions. From 20 Black Protestant churches in Atlanta, GA, 92 church leaders and members participated in semi-structured interviews. Grounded theory guided data analysis and a diverse team coded the interviews. Most participating churches had health ministries. Participants saw the boundaries between their churches at the organizational level of the SEM and the broader Black community to be porous. Those who described their "community" as being broader than their congregation also tended to describe community-wide health promotion their church engaged in. They described church-based health fairs as a strategy to promote engagement in their communities. Some participants, particularly those in a health-related profession, discussed visions of how to utilize their church as a site for community-wide health promotion. We suggest these participants may be boundary leaders who can build relationships between public health professionals, pastors, and congregants. Based on the findings, we suggest that church-based health fairs may be effective sites of community-wide health promotion.

Community-Academic Partnerships for Health Research: An Iterative and Transparent Process of Patient Engagement Before the Research Begins.

The root causes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disparities include longstanding systemic racial bias in economic advancement and care delivery, discrimination, lack of access, and social determinants of health. To address these causes, research institutions and health care systems must shift their lens from one that focuses solely on changing behaviors among underserved and vulnerable populations to one that is inward facing. We worked with a community advisory board and an African American church that has partnered on research for more than a decade to identify community norms, needs, and key resources needed for establishing community-academic partnerships for COVID-19 testing. Participants were purposefully sampled with equal representation from 3 groups: (1) church members and leaders, (2) academic or organization researchers with experience in community-engaged research, and (3) community members with experience participating in community-engaged research. Participants engaged in a hands-on exercise in the church basement as part of a town hall-style meeting. Active discussion led to the identification of business model components salient to COVID-19 testing in an underserved Baltimore community, predominantly made up of African Americans. Our discussion identified key partners, activities, resources, costs, value propositions, community relationships, community groups, communication channels, and outputs for community buy-in. Developing the business case for mutual trustworthiness to be better prepared for future pandemics and public health crises may foster more sustainable community-academic partnerships. Using a Business Model Canvas, we delineate the major components, activities, and value propositions that are needed to achieve authentic community-academic partnerships to advance health equity.

Scott, Hilton 2022. A Sense of Belonging:

The challenges of bridging the cultures and differences of church members are among the most pressing concerns congregations face in urban pluralistic cultures. Add to this a history of oppression and injustice based on race, as one might find in the author’s country of South Africa or in this reviewer’s home in United States of America, and the work becomes decidedly more urgent. One hopes the common prayer that unites congregations, sustained by the personal spiritual practices of members, might support bridges to cross that divide. But how?

KONSEP KEKUDUSAN MENURUT IMAMAT 18 DAN IMPLIKASINYA TERHADAP KONSELING PRANIKAH KAUM MUDA DI GEREJA BETHEL INDONESIA TABGHA BATAM CENTER

Pre-marital counseling is an activity held for unmarried parties, in connection with their wedding plans. These parties come to the counselor to make their decisions so that they are more stable and can make better adjustments in the future. Marriage counseling or what is commonly called marriage counseling is an effort to help the prospective bride and groom. Marriage counseling is carried out by professional counselors. The goal is that they can develop and be able to solve the problems they face through ways of mutual respect, tolerance, and communication, in order to achieve family motivation, development, independence, and the welfare of all family members.
 The purpose of personal counseling specifically has the main and foremost goal in mentoring, namely introducing the counselee to Jesus Christ with the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God and helping the counselee to become like Christ. This counseling is a service process so that the counselee has a life change and experiences recovery from the intervention of the Holy Spirit and accepts the Lord Jesus as a personal Savior so that the counselee lives and grows in a better spirituality.
 This service can be done by a counselor or a servant of God to help church members free from dark powers. Through this counseling service, the counselor will check the personal acceptance of Jesus; confession to God; ask forgiveness from God; deliverance prayer service; convinced of a new identity in Christ. Discipleship ministry (follow up) is very important for people who have just been released from the bonds of dark power. The strategy that the church must do is to make disciples or guide personally so that the counselee knows more about Jesus and grows more in Jesus Christ.
 Holiness is a state or quality of being holy. Holiness is a sign of a believer's spiritual life that must be continuously strived for, including ethical behavior. The Christian life and holiness are an inseparable unity in the believer. God's holiness has a lot to do with the people He chooses. Election/covenant is a unique expression of God's holiness. Because God is holy, God also requires His people to live holy lives (Leviticus 11:44). God shows His holiness in His actions for the salvation of the people He has chosen (Num. 20:13).

“Kejetia Preaching”: An Analysis of Contemporary Phenomena of Street Preaching in Kumasi, Ghana

Street preaching/evangelism is one of the activities undertaken by Christians to broadcast or spread the gospel. It is one of the forms of making disciples of all nations and winning souls for Christ in accordance with the Great Commission of making disciples if all nations (Matt. 28:18-20). In Ghana and some other parts of Africa, street preaching is a common phenomenon. Arguably, street preachers have a larger audience than “pulpit preaching” at the Sunday service. While Sunday service preaching is mostly confined to the chapel and focuses on members of a particular church, street preaching targets and reaches people of varied denominational and religious backgrounds. Though a common practice, street preaching comes with a number of theological, ethical and pastoral issues which need scholarly analysis. The purpose of this paper is to critically assess street preaching from theological, ethical and pastoral perspectives and to recommend ways in which potential pitfalls may be addressed. The paper employed qualitative and historical-descriptive research designs to describe the current state of the exercise and its impact on the soul-winning ministry and Christianity in general. In addition to the data collected from the field through interviews and participant observation, the paper used secondary sources such as books, journal articles and dissertations. After a careful analysis of the subject matter the paper established that even though street preaching is a legitimate and effective way of spreading the gospel, it may contribute negatively to the qualitative growth of the church due to the lack of proper theological/ministerial training of most of these preachers and the resulting unbiblical and unethical practices that sometimes characterize this enterprise. To avert the situation, the paper made recommendations for the nation (Ghana), church and preachers to enhance the qualitative growth of the Christian community through effective and biblically-sound preaching. Keywords: Ghana, Evangelism, Street Preaching, Christians