Local Researcher - Chicago, IL
Listed: 09-10-2021
Employer: Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference - 4445 S King Dr, Chicago, IL 60653 | (773) 548-6675 | https://sdpconference.info/
Location: Chicago, IL
Start Date: October, 2021
Type: Part-time
Called to Lives of Meaning and Purpose – Evaluation Research
The strategy:
Having learned from the quantitative survey and a series of photovoice focus groups, this phase of our research is aimed at strategically assessing the primary types of interventions undertaken by the congregations involved in this Initiative. That is, the task for each researcher will be to focus on one or more types of activities a given congregation undertook. An intervention will be defined by us based on what kind of social interaction and communication was employed in pursuing their goals. Did they have classes, preach sermons, organize community projects, etc.? We will be interested in whether and how each of these types of activities was experienced by participants as a strategy for fostering a deeper sense of meaning and purpose or calling them to new imaginations of church and faithful living.
The big questions:
We are designing this research to include stories from people in a variety of different settings where similar interventions took place – different religious traditions, churches large and small, etc. Among the things we will look for in each case will be: What theological grounding was critical and what new theological insight emerged? What forms of discovery and decision-making were employed as the congregation developed its approach? And what resources (including relationships and collaborations) have made their work possible? We will work with you to develop research strategies for finding the answers to these questions.
The timeline:
Depending on the situation in each Hub, we hope to begin some pilot work as early as October, but the majority of the work will take place between December and May. We hope that a good portion of this work will be on-site, but where conditions dictate, virtual observation and interviewing will likely be included. The balance of in-person and virtual will depend on your local conditions. And that, in turn, will affect the timeline for undertaking and completing the work.
The research activities:
In each congregation, there will be work aimed at a (1) general cultural orientation to the congregation. That is, we will want (a) an interview with a pastoral leader and (b) one or more observations of the primary worship service. We will also encourage (c) the gathering of a focus group that includes both people who have been involved in the intervention(s) and others in the congregation. These efforts will be aimed at assessing the overall impact of the Initiative on the congregation. (2) In addition, to the extent possible, we will hope to include one or more observations of the intervention in action (adults studying, volunteers serving, and the like). And (3) for each type of intervention, we will hope to target 3-5 interviews with people who have been involved.
Expectations:
While we hope that you bring some previous qualitative research to this work, we will provide training and work with you throughout the project. If conditions permit, we may visit with you in the field. You will be expected to provide fieldnotes of your observations and recordings of your interviews. As materials come to us, they will be transcribed by us and entered into the project database.
For questions or information requests, please send your queries to Rev. Antonia Ruth Coleman, MDiv. at acoleman@mccormick.edu.
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