From the Times today
...some ember still seems to burn in Britain’s 3.6 million regular churchgoers, for almost all of them feel a sense of expectation for the Sunday sermon, according to researchers at Durham University.
Fully 96.6 per cent of those surveyed “look forward” to the sermon, with 60 per cent saying it gave them a sense of God’s love.
At a time when churches are agonising about how to move to a “digital” from an “analog” age, the results suggest that there is life in the old forms yet.
The College of Preachers of Durham University admits that the results are “counter-intuitive” — particularly in an age where “sermonising” is seen as a deadly sin. The college plans to carry out a larger study to discover why people like sermons so much.
The most recent survey, carried out by Durham’s Codec research centre to mark the 50th anniversary of the College of Preachers, offers preliminary suggestions.
Nothing obvious on the CODEC site, there's a brief mention of it on the College of Preachers site but no obvious link to the research itself. Without knowing a bit more about the sample size, questions asked etc., I'd be reluctant to draw any firm conclusions...
Update: the Director of Research at CODEC comments below:-
The research was carried out by CODEC at St John's College on behalf of the College of Preachers. You can obtain a copy for only £5 from St John's College - theresa.phillips@durham.ac.uk - sadly we can't publish the complete copy online as research costs money and we need to recoup some of the costs. By the way, its a PILOT survey - small scale .
It's the great that the already converted love sermons so much - but its the other 50 million people that don't come that seem to be disinterested!
ReplyDeleteHow to connect with those around the fringe of the church, the lapsed, the 'Christmas and Easter' crowd - that's the challenge, isn't it
I have to confess that for a site on church and (especially new) media, I find the CODEC one really quite inept. There's every sense of worthwhile things being studied by serious people, and very little of them being used naturally or enthusiastically. I mean, their blog averaged a post a month last year. I'd be embarrassed to call that blogging.
ReplyDeletePerhaps as a relative newcomer to the CofE, I am still as the stage of believing in "The Sacrement of the Word".
ReplyDeleteI can recall many, unmemorable homilies from my days in the RC Church many years ago, but feel that the CofE has awakened something in me, where I take note of sermon content and try to apply something of them in my life. Am I alone in this?
Preaching seems to me to be such an important component of Worship - it should be memorable and something to take away and continue to think about and to discuss.
There must be poor sermons out there, but I have not yet heard one.
I am sure that there might be poor sermons out there, but I have yet to hear one.
Paul - I find every sermon a challenge! I'm actually encouraged by the revival of the monologue as a cultural form, the trouble is you have to be a decent stand-up to manage it. J John is the nearest thing in Christian terms. But plenty of stand-ups manage to develop an argument and hold an audience at the same time.
ReplyDeleteDoug - yup, not sure if Ruth G has the inside track on some of the info, but if you've got a story appearing in a national newspaper then it would make sense to at least mention it on your website.....
UKViewer, I'm thrilled to hear that in your corner of the CofE, the sermon seems to be alive and well. I have a hunch that many churchgoers simply get the sermons they pray for.
The research was carried out by CODEC at St John's College on behalf of the College of Preachers. You can obtain a copy for only £5 from St John's College - theresa.phillips@durham.ac.uk - sadly we can't publish the complete copy online as research costs money and we need to recoup some of the costs. By the way, its a PILOT survey - small scale - to see if a larger survey is needed - Yes, it is! Any funders - get in contact!
ReplyDeleteAs to the website - sorry it doesn't come up to scratch according to Doug and dmk! Offers of help rather than just gratuitous criticism gratefully received!!! Don't be too nasty in your criticism...we're trying to do a good job.
Pete (Director of Research for CODEC)
Pete - thankyou for your comment, appreciate what you say about the cost. I guess the most relevant level for doing surveys about preaching is our own congregations, though many of us perhaps don't have the nerve to find out what people really think.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for being critical of the website, I was just surprised that a body on communication in a digital age wasn't communicating digitally! I appreciate that resources are scarce, and there's a limit to what can be done. I suppose with the higher profile of CODEC following the conference last year, which I followed on Twitter, expectations are higher now that CODEC is more well known. Would there be a place for engaging some of the folks on last years conference in providing some of the site content?
Many of us are rather sceptical of what appears in the mainstream media, and like to check out the original sources before drawing any firm conclusions. I'm guessing the Times has a copy of the research itself.
David,
ReplyDeleteWe'd welcome any help not least with the website.
I've blogged this evening on the report - postmodernbible.blogs.com - gives some more details.
Cheers
Pete