- Collection:
- Interdenominational Theological Center Theses & Dissertations Collection
- Title:
- Creating Churches Without Walls: Reconnecting The Disconnect Between Our Black Youth And Young Adults And The Black Church
- Creator:
- Fitzhugh, Barbara Jean
- Date of Original:
- 2018-05
- Subject:
- Dissertations, Academic
Degrees, Academic - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798
- Medium:
- theses
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- Within the churches of the First Episcopal Region of the Christian Methodist Church, our spiritual leaders are more concerned with the distinctiveness of traditions rather than allowing the youth and young adults to exhibit the essence of their faith, and ideas. The aim of this study was for the researcher to find a possible solution to give voice, adequate space, and intentional listening ears to black youth and young adults of our church. Two key questions addressed in the study are as follows: (1) What can the Black church do to meet the spiritual, social, and emotional needs of Millennials and Post-Millennials? and (2) Why it is important to be a part of a caring supportive congregation? A focus group and theater, employing improvisation as the format, was used as a fun, creative way to capture the participants' stories, ideas, and insights in order to express their feelings of disconnect and neglect fostered by the actions and attitudes of the church and those who are in leadership positions. The members of the focus group concluded that the church leaders need to allow youth and young adults to provide leadership, ideas, and vision, so that they will continue to be an integral part of the church. I suggest that pastors and youth and young adult leaders become intentional listeners to the youth and young adults within their local congregations. The project resulted in changing the dynamics of how the pastor and officers of the church interact with, as well as, perceive the role of the youth and young adults within that local congregation. Since the conclusion of the project, the youth and young adults are intentionally included in the planning process of worship and ministry.
Date of award: 2018-05
Degree type: dissertation
Degree name: Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Granting institution: Interdenominational Theological Center
Advisor: Wimberly, Anne E. S. - Metadata URL:
- http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/itc.td:2018_fitzhugh_barbara
- Holding Institution:
- Interdenominational Theological Center (Atlanta, Ga.)
- Rights:
-
