The Millennial Experience in the Black Church: A Mixed Methods Study on Communicating Religious and Racial/Ethnic Identity by Ashley C. Thomas A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of George Mason University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Communication Committee: ___________________________________________ Director ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Department Chairperson ___________________________________________ Program Director ___________________________________________ Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences Date: _____________________________________ Spring Semester 2017 George Mason University Fairfax, VA The Millennial Experience in the Black Church: A Mixed Methods Study on Communicating Religious and Racial/Ethnic Identity A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at George Mason University by Ashley C. Thomas Master of Science Florida State University, 2012 Bachelor of Arts Alabama State University, 2011 Director: Mark C. Hopson, Associate Professor Department of Communication Spring Semester 2017 George Mason University Fairfax, VA COPYRIGHT 2016 ASHLEY C. THOMAS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii Dedication This is dedicated to my late grandfather Rev. Herbert H. Thomas, Sr. iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for keeping me throughout this entire doctoral program experience, which would not have been possible by my efforts alone. It certainly took the support of many to get to this point. I am truly grateful for all of the friends, relatives, professors, colleagues, and supporters who have been a source of encouragement. My loving parents Drs. Herbert and Christine Thomas, Jr. set an amazing example by both earning their doctorates. They have consistently pushed me to pursue my passions, enjoy the experiences along life's journey, and never stop learning and growing. My sweet sister Kimberly Thomas has motivated me to be the best I can be in all areas of my life and has reminded me that I am a product of (T)he (H)ouse (O)f (M)any (A)cademic (S)cholars. Thank you to my grandmother Mrs. Algenia S. Thomas who always has faith in me and sees the good in my past, present, and future. She and my grandparents Mr. Gary Adams and Mrs. Eyvonne Adams eased a potentially stressful time for me as a graduate student when I needed family support the most. I am blessed with people from all walks of life who value my research and love me unconditionally. My committee members Drs. Mark Hopson, Tim Gibson, and Katherine Rowan were of invaluable help, assured me of my research's value across disciplines, and drew me to step back and see the beauty of the phenomenon unfolding throughout the dissertation process. I want to express my gratitude for my advisor Dr. Mark Hopson. He consistently encouraged me to honor the legacy and contributions of those who came before me and to remember that it is their shoulders I rest on to be the communicator and researcher I am today. Words cannot express how appreciative I am for Mr. Albert Calhoun providing me with an abundance of tools and advice to help me make sense of and explore the pressing research questions in my mind. He was there for me when the inevitable surprises and challenges of doctoral research arose. Dr. Marc Williams' and Dr. Denise Vaughn's words of encouragement and their readiness to assist were right on time. I would like to share how thankful I am for the following supporters who strengthened my study: the participants, those who distributed my survey, and those who recruited interview participants. Through their feedback and dedication of time, I was able to learn iv so much about my peers and even myself as a Millennial. Lastly, I would like to give a special thanks to all who read this dissertation, intently listen to the voices of Black Millennials, and acknowledge what my generation has known all along: Millennials matter. v Table of Contents Page List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii! List of Abbreviations ......................................................................................................... ix! Abstract ............................................................................................................................... x! CHAPTER ONE: STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM AND LITERATURE REVIEW . 1! Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................ 1! Purpose of Study ............................................................................................................. 4! Review of Literature ........................................................................................................ 5! Theoretical framework ................................................................................................ 5! Generational communication. .................................................................................... 16! Millennials' overall characteristics. ........................................................................... 21! Millennials and religion. ............................................................................................ 23! Millennial communication. ........................................................................................ 24! Millennials and intergenerational communication. ................................................... 25! Black/African-American communication. ................................................................. 26! The Black Church .......................................................................................................... 33! Research Questions and Hypotheses ............................................................................. 50! CHAPTER TWO: OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ........................... 53! Quantitative Method: Quantitative Surveys .................................................................. 54! Recruitment. .............................................................................................................. 54! Procedure. .................................................................................................................. 54! Instrumentation. ......................................................................................................... 55! Qualitative Method: Phenomenological Interviews ...................................................... 59! Recruitment. .............................................................................................................. 62! Procedure. .................................................................................................................. 64! CHAPTER THREE: QUANTITATIVE METHOD REPORT ........................................ 66! Data Analysis ................................................................................................................ 66! vi Results ........................................................................................................................... 67! Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 76! CHAPTER FOUR: QUALITATIVE METHOD REPORT ............................................. 81! Data Analysis ................................................................................................................ 81! Findings ......................................................................................................................... 84! Discussion ................................................................................................................... 142! CHAPTER FIVE: GENERAL DISCUSSION ............................................................... 152! Qualitative and Quantitative Data Comparison .......................................................... 152! Limitation .................................................................................................................... 160! Quantitative method limitation. ............................................................................... 161! Qualitative method limitation. ................................................................................. 162! Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 163! Implications and Future Research Direction ............................................................... 168! Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 170! APPENDIX A ................................................................................................................. 172! APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................. 174! APPENDIX C ................................................................................................................. 191! APPENDIX D ................................................................................................................. 193! APPENDIX E ................................................................................................................. 196! APPENDIX F ................................................................................................................