Though I originally developed a research project centered around the phenomenon of evangelizing, or spreading the gospel, to different Discourses, I’ve decided to switch gears and instead focus on those who play a pivotal role in the sharing of the gospel, pastors. As a member of an urban evangelical church, the Axis Church, I am intrigued with how senior pastor Jeremy Rose communicates with the church body and goes about his duty as one who preaches the salvation of Jesus Christ. Even more intriguing is his influence on the church body and how hints of his personality and theology become mixed within the personalities and theologies of those who learn from him.
What I ask is this: how is a particular church’s head pastor reflected in his/her congregation? What sorts of mannerisms or beliefs do regular attenders of a church pick up from their pastor? Is it healthy admiration? Is it unwanted? Does the church itself notice the occurrence? Does the pastor? How do both feel about it?
I plan on examining two different churches, one being the previously mentioned Axis Church and another to be determined. Apart from the initial pastor-to-congregation study, I will compare the findings from each church, look for similarities, and point out the differing aspects and attempt to explain why they differ. I will conduct interviews with both parties, the pastor and the regular attenders. I will look at things such as a pastor’s typical Sunday, how the church worships, how the pastor preaches, etc. Given this, the project will also be examination-heavy. I am eager to pick out another church to research as well as begin to develop criteria and questions. I am sure this will be an enlightening and memorable project for me, as one who is very attached to the church and would possibly like to be involved with one in the future as a career.
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