Date of Award

5-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Legacy Department

Communication, Technology, and Society

Committee Chair/Advisor

Scott, Travers

Committee Member

Kendall , Brenden

Committee Member

Jones , Karyn

Abstract

NewSpring Church is an interesting case study in understanding the rich complexities, which comprise a church community. Through the use of Relational Dialectics Theory, this study has found five dialectical pairs which exemplify the characteristics of the NewSpring community: Flawed/Perfect, Individual accountability/God's responsibility, Church is faith/Faith is beyond church, Take risks/Accept destiny, Your God/Everyone's God. These dialectics found only partially reflect the values and beliefs of the Millennial generation, providing a new wrapping on the old, traditional ideas of the church. Therefore, NewSpring needs to reflect and adapt in order to maintain its relevance and livelihood in the future. A focus needs to shift from theology to lifestyle and values in order to attract this upcoming generation. The Millennial generation's values go back to the basics, and consequently, the NewSpring community needs to do the same.

Included in

Religion Commons

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