The introduction of mixed generations into the church has resulted in age-related differences in worldviews that ultimately led to conflict within the church branch. This situation has led to the youth becoming powerless and rejecting the church system, claiming that times have changed and the church must reflect this change.
INTRODUCTION
- Background and Rationale
- The Purpose of the Research
- Focus of Study
- Problem Statement
- Expectations from Research
- Motivation for the Study
- Limitations and Delimitations of Study
- Research Approach / Paradigm
- Summary
This research involved constructing an intergenerational profile of church membership based on age stratification relevant to a particular church branch of study. I was a victim of supposedly age-related negative attitudes in the church when I eventually left that particular branch of the church.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
Organisational Theory of the Church
An understanding of civil society is important in this case as it has obvious structural similarities with the church system in terms of service. I see clergy as the equivalent of civil servants in a civil society, and church members are equal to civilians.
Ecclesiastical Characteristics of a Church
This verse describes the structure and composition of the church to fulfill its purpose. Lings (2006) says that traditional theories of management and leadership are definitely not sufficient for such turbulent environments as the church.
Worldviews
This was demonstrated by Barnes (2008) when he examined the introduction of RAP music into the church. The worldviews that exist can be contradictory and can even result in conflict and tension in the church.
Conflict Theory of a Church
Chou (2008) states that the biggest challenge is that conflicts can arise when there is a socio-economically heterogeneous membership composition in the church. The vision and identity of the church or religious community also play a role in most of them.
Generation and Intergeneration Theory
There was also a reasonable possibility that there could just be an existence of positive conflict in the church. This may be due to the exclusivity enjoyed by a denominational setting, conflicts are generally internally influenced rather than externally influenced within the church.
Power Allocations and Resulting Conflicts
Conflicts between older and younger members also bring leadership challenges as they also create a platform for cliques to form in the church as well as low morale. There is a need for leadership to carefully manage power relationships in the church between younger and older members.
Leadership Dynamics
The leader must be able to balance between the traditional and charismatic structures of the church. A new culture will emerge that will take care of the extreme world that remains a contradiction.
Change Management
Anderson (2005) gives a fair account of how the church has developed into the current charismatic churches in a South African context. Change management forms a cornerstone of this research as I based it on the hypothesis that there are coercive events, patterns and possibly structures prevalent in the church that result in age-related conflict. Coercion is an undesirable condition that must be eradicated so that the church returns to its pluralistic state, and therefore a change project is required to achieve.
Resistance is inevitable in the process of change in the church and this is a very serious position that any organization can take because it also means that churches do not adopt a learning organizational mentality. The leadership of the church is typically bound by tradition and would purposefully resist and reject secular and contemporary influences. However, it can be argued that young people tend to be more exposed to the secular and contemporary influences, and these can influence their interactions within the church.
Summary
This can be achieved by ensuring that he creates healthy relationships that will be relevant to the learning agenda that the leader has implemented.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
- Introduction
- Objective of the Study
- Research Approach / Paradigm
- Study Methodology
- Methods of Data Collection
- Sampling
- Questionnaires
- Interviews
- Focus Groups
- Summary
To explain the relationship between the social and socialization profile with the emerging age-related conflicts in the church. As much as the church is a plural environment, there is enough basis to define the age-related conflicts in the church as a coercive situation. The previous section of this research revealed that the most important issues that lead to conflicts are issues of multiple worldviews, backgrounds and the organizational climate in the church.
This case study was conducted with the insight and hypothesis that age-related conflicts exist in the church and that these conflicts are manageable with appropriate leadership interventions. The most important thing for me was exposing the mess that existed in the church, as my research was based on the hypothesis that age-related conflicts exist in the church and also. I consider the methodology used in this research to be well suited to ensuring that I have meaningful data that I would analyze to capture the worldviews and paradigms that make up the church.
PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
Introduction
Findings
- Questionnaires
- Age Related Questions
- Exposures and Backgrounds
- Style of Worship and Music
- Power Allocation Questions
- Interview Questions
- Focus Groups
This representation symbolizes that older people in this church value the legacy of the church as legitimacy. A contemporary group, namely the majority of young people, has only been active in the church since the late 1990s. The questionnaires included questions about the division of power between older members and younger members of the church.
Similar to the responses of the youth, there were also some older members who felt that the youth should be given an opportunity to express themselves in the church. Every member of the church seemed to have been exposed or fallen victim to age-related conflicts in the church, judging by the responses. This has harmed church growth and church relationships more than any other issue according to contemporaries.
Reflections
- Conflicts
- Worldviews
- Church and Leadership Dynamics
- Change Management
The older members have invested heavily in the church in terms of their time, mentorship, finances, spiritual and physical service to the church. This appears to contradict the assumption I made in Chapter 2 that the legitimacy of the church lies in the idea that they worship the Supreme Being, God. There is no isolation between the congregation or church branch in question and the broader denomination.
The youth have tried to introduce newer styles in the church and thereby transform the church into a hi-tech organization. There are other smaller cliques in the church and they are operational at all levels of the church. The relationships are very coercive at this stage because the leadership is for the traditionalists, and so the older members are very powerful in the church.
Summary
It is very difficult to see such conflicts manifest as the church was established in a Zulu community that maintains a culture that does not compromise the language of respect for elders. Many young people have accepted that change will not come soon as most are considering leaving the church to follow others who have left. This comes from the radical youth who no longer expect any positive news from the leadership, as it follows a series of engagements with the leadership that bear no fruit.
Change would come to this church if the leadership would support it and also take radical steps to drive intentional change. Leaders must act boldly in this organization to ensure that even though the future state of the church is unknown, there is a need to move a church toward a better future. The leadership will also need to de-stigmatize traditionalists or contemporary worlds as sacred or secular and find a better way to bring together two distinct futures.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Introduction
- Worldviews
- Leadership and Age Dynamics
- Change and Paradigm Shift
- Recommendations
- Conclusion
In this case, the needs of the young are ignored, which hypothetically means that the future of the church is equally ignored. This is due to the results of indoctrination emerging as the key aspect of multiple worldviews existing in the church. A few questions would need to be asked to carefully review the current status of the church in order to understand its ecclesiastical position.
The church undoubtedly owes its existence to its past and present members, but this does not necessarily mean that the future position of the church must be held at ransom because of this sacred debt. This process would not materialize if the national executive of the church did not endorse it. 34; A Tale of Two Churches: The Ecclesiologies of The Episcopal Church and the Church of England Compared." International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church Vol.
QUESTIONNAIRES AND INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
SAMPLED YOUTH RESPONSES
C – They should wait a few years before being entrusted with responsibilities in the church. D – They should not be given any high status in the church that will be more than others. What do you think is the problem with active young people in the church when it comes to relationships with older people.
What do you think is the problem with older people in the church when it comes to relationships with young people? Do you think there is a clear and logical division of age groups and their responsibilities in the church? Do you think age-related conflicts have caused or could damage the growth of the church?
SAMPLED OLDER MEMBERS RESPONSES
D – I don't think they understand the roots of the church, they should learn from their elders. Young people tend to misunderstand us as wanting to make them miserable, but we only want to teach the doctrine of the church that has made us who we are today. Young people need to spend time with us so that we can close the gaps.
What do you think was done to solve the problem and what was the role of management in this? It seems that the leadership listens too much to the youth, even allowing them to introduce some "styles" that are not the identity of this church. The leadership should not scare these young people, they need to tell the young people that the elders know best.
ETHICAL CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE
