<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Using a qualitative study of interviews with ministers who work in ethnically diverse British Methodist congregations, I explore the practices that encourage a sense of belonging together as one body in Christ and how these influence a congregation’s ethos. Analysing how the respondents see their own role in this work I argue that the key challenge is the enabling of power-sharing, to which ministers contribute but which they cannot determine alone. I conclude that the decisive factor is the willingness of the members to allow the whole body to be changed by those who are ‘other’ and ‘different’.</p></abstract>

Using a qualitative study of interviews with ministers who work in ethnically diverse British Methodist congregations, I explore the practices that encourage a sense of belonging together as one body in Christ and how these influence a congregation’s ethos. Analysing how the respondents see their own role in this work I argue that the key challenge is the enabling of power-sharing, to which ministers contribute but which they cannot determine alone. I conclude that the decisive factor is the willingness of the members to allow the whole body to be changed by those who are ‘other’ and ‘different’.

Towards an ethnically diverse British Methodist Church

Holiness

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Towards an ethnically diverse British Methodist Church"}

Using a qualitative study of interviews with ministers who work in ethnically diverse British Methodist congregations, I explore the practices that encourage a...

Towards an ethnically diverse British Methodist Church

Published Online: Apr 05, 2020

Page range: 23 - 52

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/holiness-2016-0002

Keywords
BRITISH METHODISM, DIVERSITY, ECCLESIAL PRACTICES, ETHNICITY, POWER-SHARING

© 2016 Jill Marsh, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Towards an ethnically diverse British Methodist Church

Published Online: Apr 05, 2020

Page range: 23 - 52

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/holiness-2016-0002

KeywordsBRITISH METHODISM, DIVERSITY, ECCLESIAL PRACTICES, ETHNICITY, POWER-SHARING

© 2016 Jill Marsh, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Keywords
BRITISH METHODISM, DIVERSITY, ECCLESIAL PRACTICES, ETHNICITY, POWER-SHARING