Research Project
Reimagining Preaching in the Pacific Northwest
Over the coming months, we are conducting a project throughout the Pacific Northwest to learn what approaches to preaching are effective – what works (and what doesn’t!) for scriptural engagement for meaning-making in post-Christendom contexts. Our aim is to gather stories that will inspire, equip, and support preachers to craft transformational homilies and homiletic events as a way to give voice to cultural, political, theological diversity, while drawing communities together.
Do you know a congregation or preacher in the region that is reimagining ways to engage scripture? We want to know about them!
What we are looking for
Our search is two-fold:
- Faith communities that embody “text, soul, and culture” and/or use innovative formats for scriptural engagement in community.
- Preachers in traditional formats (a single speaker behind a pulpit) who exemplify best practices of preaching in post-Christendom contexts.
We are looking for congregations or other forms of faith communities where “text, soul, and culture” are vibrant parts of scriptural engagement. To be recommended, the community should match with any part (not every part) of the description below. We used the word “congregants” to mean individuals who attend or participate in the community or congregation, whether occasionally or frequently.
TEXT: Congregants process their lives through the lens of scripture and tradition (as part of a worship service or outside of it).
SOUL: Congregants report personal growth and/or spiritual maturity (defined as the ability to tolerate uncertainty and ambiguity) as a result of interacting with scripture in this community.
CULTURE: Congregants find a sense of belonging within the community (congregation or local community) as a result of their participation in the congregation, in which belonging does not rely on an us/them mentality. Congregants’ worldview is shaped towards greater faith, hope, and love by the way they engage scripture.
Faith communities take many forms, and we are open to them all. They might meet Sunday mornings, other times of the week, or entirely digitally. They might receive funding from a denomination or be entirely self-sustaining. They might have ordained staff or be entirely volunteer-run.
We do not care about the size of the congregation or budget. There are small congregations with deeply compelling preaching!
Location for the study
We are focused on areas that are culturally “post-Christendom”, where Christianity cannot be assumed as the dominant religion. We will begin with the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska) and may expand our search in a later project.
What happens after nomination
Nominees will be screened via online presence (when available) then contacted for a conversation. Select congregations will be visited. With their consent, we will select some congregations to write about and share as models for innovative faith community and for reimagined scriptural engagement. We will also identify themes or best practices of innovative faith communities and of engaging scripture in post-Christendom contexts.