What Helps Christians Grow? An Exploratory Study Distinguishing among Four Distinctive Pathways
This study draws on a detailed survey completed by 1,123 churchgoers attending churches within the West Midlands region of England in order to identify indicators of Christian growth and distinctive pathways to growth. Factor and reliability analyses distinguished between two indicators of Christian...
| Authors: | ; ; ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer Science Business Media B. V.
[2019]
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| In: |
Pastoral psychology
Year: 2019, Volume: 68, Issue: 4, Pages: 379-392 |
| IxTheo Classification: | CB Christian life; spirituality KBF British Isles RB Church office; congregation |
| Further subjects: | B
Empirical Theology
B Christian formation B discipleship learning B congregation studies |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Resolving-System) |
| Summary: | This study draws on a detailed survey completed by 1,123 churchgoers attending churches within the West Midlands region of England in order to identify indicators of Christian growth and distinctive pathways to growth. Factor and reliability analyses distinguished between two indicators of Christian growth (depth of discipleship and strength of vocation) and four distinctive pathways to growth (growth through group activity, growth through Christian experience, growth through church worship, and growth through public engagement). Regression analyses, taking into account individual differences in sex, age, education, church support, and challenges to faith, identified growth through Christian experience as the most important factor in helping Christians grow, while public engagement added weight to depth of discipleship and group activities added weight to strength of vocation. The implications of these findings are discussed for future research and for discipleship learning programs within the church. |
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| ISSN: | 1573-6679 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Pastoral psychology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s11089-019-00866-5 |