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.
Recommended Citation
Rauchwarter, Lauren, "The Millennial church?: Defining the NewSpring virtual church" (2013). All Theses. 1629.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/1629