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Navigating the Dialectical Tensions of a New Church a Dissertation

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Navigating the Dialectical Tensions of a New Church a Dissertation The Story of Storytellers: Navigating the Dialectical Tensions of a New Church A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Amanda E. Torrens August 2016 © 2016 Amanda E. Torrens. All Rights Reserved. This dissertation titled The Story of Storytellers: Navigating the Dialectical Tensions of a New Church by AMANDA E. TORRENS has been approved for the School of Communication Studies and the Scripps College of Communication by William K. Rawlins Stocker Professor of Communication Studies Scott Titsworth Dean, Scripps College of Communication ii ABSTRACT TORRENS, AMANDA E., Ph.D., August 2016, Communication Studies The Story of Storytellers: Navigating the Dialectical Tensions of a New Church Director ofDissertation: William K. Rawlins Storytellers Church is a nondenominational Christian church that began weekly services in Macomb, Michigan in January, 2014. Founded by Pastor Bryan Ball and his wife Brittany, the mission of Storytellers Church is “telling stories of life change so people far from God will hear” (storytellersmi.org). This dissertation is an ethnographic case study rooted in my participation as a volunteer, attendee, and eventually, a leader at Storytellers. I share my experiences with the physical construction of Storytellers, as well as my own church background and the sense-making process my fellow participants and I journeyed through together. I also detail the qualitative analysis I employed to allow my findings to be grounded in the field notes and interviews I gathered over the course of Storytellers’ first year of services. This process led me to three dialectical tensions, which I detail in chapters three, four, and five respectively: authority assertion and surrender, the idealization and realization of stories, and performance and worship. By placing each of these dialectical tensions in conversation with literature regarding Christian authority, narrative theories, and the performance work of Erving Goffman, I offer ways in which new churches can embrace a dialectical approach as a hopeful and generative perspective from which to build their organizations. Three more tensions also surfaced in my evidence, and those are discussed as directions for future research in chapter six: uncertainty and faith, accountability and acceptance, and stability and change. iii DEDICATION “Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.” –C.S. Lewis For Father Peter Raposo, who brought Christ into our office every day. See you on the other side, my friend. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS At the top of my thank-you list are the two people who have always put me first. Mom and Dad, this degree and this piece of work are a direct result of your selflessness, encouragement, love, and sheer determination to let me chase my goals. You two have taught me what true grace is. I hope one day I can give back to you even a fraction of what you’ve given me. I love you to the moon and back. Grandma and Grandpa, your love, encouragement, and financial support made it possible for me to finish this project the way I wanted to. Every time I got into my Jeep to make another trip home, I remembered that without that gift I wouldn’t have been able to do all of the traveling I did. That car has been the best present I ever received, and you gave it freely as an early graduation gift—you always believed I would finish! For every hug and sweet Facebook message sent across the miles, thank you. Love you lots. Bryan and Brittany, you two have gone above and beyond anything I expected when I first walked into your house in August, 2013. You could have easily said that you had enough on your plates and that you didn’t need a doctoral student looking over your shoulders throughout this process, but instead you welcomed me and put me to work. Thank you for your support, prayers, encouragement, and determination to see me through this project. Thank you, also, for letting me be part of creating your dream. The pleasure has all been min e. To my advisor, Dr. Bill Rawlins, thank you for your enthusiasm about this project from day one. You always believed this dissertation would not only be a worthwhile piece of scholarship, but would also benefit the people involved in helping me write it. You were right. Thank you for your guidance and encouragement, and for your open v office door when things just weren’t going right with my journey toward a Ph.D. No one else could have directed this project. Thank you to the rest of my dedicated committee members, Dr. Brittany Peterson, Dr. J.W. Smith, and Dr. Charlie Morgan. Brittany, your prayers have meant so much. Thank you for taking my calls when I couldn’t work things out in my own head. I’ll cherish your friendship for years to come. J.W., you wanted in on this project since the day I told you about it. Thank you for the hours spent in your office discussing Storytellers and my future. Charlie, you helped me figure out how to turn the process of analysis and writing into “magic.” When I doubted that I was “doing this right,” you reminded me how smart I am and that my work was already great. Thanks for showing me that a career in academia is what you make it. I hope I can follow your example. To Bob and Terry White, thank you for giving me a home and a quiet place to work during those crucial summer months. You fed me and gave me a place to live and work without asking anything in return. I pray your generosity is returned to you with interest. And to my Storytellers family, you all have been the most wonderful and unexpected surprise that came from this process. Your love and support made all of the toughest parts bearable and the best parts reason for celebration. A church family like ours is rare, and I can’t wait to see how we grow and learn together in the years to come. Thank you for sharing your stories with me and for writing new ones together. God has more for us ahead, I’m sure of it. Thank you God, for giving me more than I could ever ask or imagine. All of this is for You. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... v Chapter 1: Introduction…Welcome to Storytellers ............................................................ 1 The Changing Church ................................................................................................... 14 The Church as an Organization .................................................................................... 18 Storytelling and Faith .................................................................................................... 20 A Dialectical Perspective: Tensions in Adult Friendships and Beyond ....................... 23 Storytellers Church ....................................................................................................... 27 Chapter 2: Rolling Up My Sleeves…Learning by Doing ................................................. 31 Researcher Reflexivity: My Church Story .................................................................... 33 Storytellers Case Study: Using a Grounded Approach ................................................. 40 Participants ................................................................................................................ 41 Participant Observation ............................................................................................. 42 Interviews .................................................................................................................. 43 Documents and Artifacts ........................................................................................... 44 Chapter 3: Authority Assertion and Surrender ................................................................. 51 Authority Assertion and Surrender ............................................................................... 52 Who is in Charge? Spiritual and Practical Authority and Surrender in the Church ..... 55 Pastor Bryan’s Authority: Storytellers’ Vision ............................................................. 60 Bryan’s Surrender: Stylistic Details ............................................................................. 66 Bryan’s Surrender: Personal Comfort ........................................................................... 68 Bryan’s Surrender to God ............................................................................................. 70 Leadership Team’s Surrender ....................................................................................... 74 Leadership Team’s Authority ....................................................................................... 77 Congregation’s Surrender ............................................................................................. 80 Authority and Surrender as an Impetus for Change ..................................................... 83 Chapter 4: Idealization and Realization of Stories ........................................................... 86 vii Literature Addressing the Personal, Organizational, and Moral Implications
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