A team field study of the appeal of megachurches: Identifying, framing, and solving personal issues
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2010
Abstract
Through an ongoing team fieldwork project that entails ethnographic observations and interviews at multiple research sites in southern California, this study seeks an understanding of the growth of contemporary megachurches by examining how they go about the business of attracting new members and retaining old ones. In this article, we focus on how the megachurches assist members in addressing personal issues through diagnostic and prognostic framing within large congregational gatherings and problem-oriented small groups. These processes are elaborated through the intensive examination of a small group dealing with 'the problem of same-sex attraction'. The study explains the appeal of megachurches at two levels: for individuals, megachurches sharpen and fine-tune an expanding array of personal problems or issues; and, at the organizational and institutional level, they have become major players in the self-help market. © The Author(s), 2010.
DOI
10.1177/1466138109347006
First Page
165
Last Page
188
Volume
11
Issue
1
Publication Title
Ethnography
ISSN
14661381
Recommended Citation
Snow, D. A., Bany, J. A., Peria, M., & Stobaugh, J. E. (2010). A team field study of the appeal of megachurches. Ethnography, 11(1), 165-188. doi:10.1177/1466138109347006
Comments
At the time of publication, James E. Stobaugh was affiliated with University of California, Irvine.