RT Article
T1 "There is ‘Plenty’ of Grace—it is Not a Limited Commodity!:": Experiences of Grace in Australian Faith Communities During the Pandemic
JF Pastoral psychology
VO 71
IS 5
SP 583
OP 596
A1 Hyde, Brendan
A1 Joseph, Dawn
LA English
PB Springer Science Business Media B. V.
YR 2022
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1817409336
AB During the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, Melbourne in Australia endured one of the longest lockdowns in the world. Although the severe restrictions for faith communities in particular posed many setbacks, new opportunities for worship were experienced. This paper focuses on a research project that explored hope, grace, and resilience during COVID-19 in Melbourne. A total of 106 participants from a variety of Christian denominations in Melbourne completed an online survey in relation to the notion of grace. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data was employed to explore the lived experiences of the participants. Two overarching themes—God’s grace offers favour, and God’s grace provides strength and builds resilience—are discussed. The findings indicate that while grace is bountiful through faith, it can also be found in unexpected places within faith settings and the wider community. While generalizations from this study cannot be made to other faith communities, recommendations are offered in relation to ways in which ‘church’ may be experienced in 2022 and beyond. The study showed that "there is ‘plenty’ of grace". Its transformational power offers hope and builds resilience as God’s grace "is not a limited commodity!"
K1 Covid-19
K1 Faith
K1 Faith Community
K1 Grace
K1 Hope
K1 Resilience
K1 Thematic Analysis
DO 10.1007/s11089-022-01024-0