week 4 responds cled 805

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 AND IN PERSON WORSHIP

by

Neil Burgess

A Prospectus Presented in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Education

Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA

Date Defended

APPROVED BY:

__________________________________

Name and degree, Dissertation Supervisor

__________________________________

Name and degree, Second Reader

The Coronavirus pandemic has changed our world forever like nothing before it time. The unprecedented nature of this modern-day catastrophe has reigned. As like in the days of the Old Testament plagues of Egypt. This research will explore the impact on in person worship in the wake of the pandemic. The many adjustments that had to take place in terms of the transition for assembled worship to converting homes into places of worship. Interacting via zoom and YouTube and other social media platforms. Subsequently the years that followed in the aftermath of the lockdowns. This research will look to find correlation to increase mental health conditions including depression, stress and anxiety related to the look downs and the prolonged effects in the years that followed.

The world will be forever changed the challenge now is how to move forward and what lessons were learned as a result. What will be the new normal be? This mixed method study will apply qualitative and quantitative data along with ethnographic data computation to derive its findings. According to Johnson “26 in-depth interviews with church-appointed United Methodist pastors conducted between June and August 2020 in which we asked pastors to describe how, if at all, their ministry changed in the wake of COVID-19”. He went on to say “The majority of clergy we spoke with described the pandemic as profoundly disruptive of ministry-as-usual, upending their usual habits, practices, and routines in relation to core aspects of their work such as worship services and pastoral care” (Johnston, 2021)

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The COVID-19 epidemic created the worst disruption such the likes this or any generation has ever witnessed. The pandemic changed the way in person worship is conducted presenting an unprecedented challenge for the leadership body and the average church member alike. The impact to churches has been devasting as the adjustments have long term complications. Lockdown and other mandates have not only crippled in person fellowship but has forced the church to redefine the meaning of small group. March 2020, public health officials across the country ordered religious organizations to limit in-person activities and move worship and other services online. This mandate disrupted one of the most fundamental activities of religious congregations–bringing people together for corporate worship (Chaves 2004)

This research aim is to provide a more detailed look at the impact it had on the Black Churches in the Grater New Haven County and assess the long-term effect of the mandates impact on one the most disproportionate groups in the country.

The unprecedented nature of the Coronavirus outbreak has been one of the most proleptic in recent times. Of many forms of viral infections to have graced the face of the earth this particular virus would equate to a modern-day Egyptian plague. The Coronavirus has been an unmatched global crisis of the era. The global footprint of this virus has had major impact of the community of faith. By definition this is the community of believers more specifically the body of Christ. In the wake of this massive outbreak the departure from the faith based on the disease catastrophically impacted the community of faith. The minority community were the greatest at-risk countless surveys pointed to this dilemma. The Coronavirus spanned the spectrum of the faith community irrespective of race, gender and belief. The greatest impact was among the people of color, especially the black communities. According to Pew Research, "56% of those in the historically Black Protestant tradition say they typically attend religious services at least once or twice a month, far higher than the share of Catholics (39%) and mainline Protestants (37%) who do so" (Life in U.S., 2021). This review will explore how will the faith community return to in-person worship. The study will be using a mixed methodology to highlight the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cases and other data sources in our immediate location.

This research is aimed at the African American community of the Greater New Haven County. The gap in the study will focus primarily on the two to three span of the virus and the impact that still have on this community. The sample church sizes will be of churches with attendance no greater than 100 members or less. Churches must be in the New Haven County to qualify and meet the membership requirements. Special emphasis will be made on the Apostolic Pentecostal groups compared the compared to other groups. Income, gender and ethnicity will be factors addressed in this study to prove if a correlation exist between other ethnic groups. The use of ethnography will be applied where it is deemed to be necessary. The study will seek to expose differences if any after the lockdowns ended and in person services resumed.

Summarize the recent research on the topic.

The purpose of this mixed-methods research will be to analyze the impact of Coronavirus on the return of in-person worship by collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. This study will first collect qualitative data. This research will then collect quantitative data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Pew Research Center as data sources along with ethnographic data to capture a more relational person to person boots on the ground approach. This data will then be analyzed to determine the impact ratio of in-person worship based on the lockdowns opposed to lifting of the lockdowns and other mandates.

The following research questions guided this study:

RQ1. What, if any, are the influence of Coronavirus on individual believers' ability to worship in person?

RQ2. How many hours per week is spent in online worship in comparison to in-person service?

RQ3. What, if any, are the differences between the online worship experience and the in-person worship experience?

It is important to note that this study is delimited to parishioners of African American churches in Connecticut's Greater New Haven County. Additionally, the study will not comprehensively research all aspects of the effects of the pandemic on in-person worship but the impact on the faith of parishioners of communities of color.

The research assumes that churches that fall outside the requirement will not be included in the study. The research assumed that church that are not with the inner city of the study will be excluded for the study. It is important to note that this study is delimited to parishioners of African American churches in Connecticut's Greater New Haven County. Additionally, the study will not comprehensively research all aspects of the effects of the pandemic on in-person worship but the impact on the faith of parishioners of communities of color.

This qualitative study will be conducted by reviewing several related studies from previous literature to identify the correlations compared to the researcher's central focus. The author will then perform the research process with the steps as follows:

1. Defining the problem. The problem that the author tries to explore is the impact of depression on African American pastors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2. Data collection. The data collection method chosen will be conducted with interviews and questionnaires. The interviews can be conducted in-person, over the telephone or through the internet.

3. Defining the terms. At this stage, the author defines the term "Depression," as defined by the American Psychiatric Association: "A common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act" (What is Depression, 2020).

Additionally, other definitions include "COVID-19," as defined by John Hopkins Medicine: "COVID-19 is the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that emerged in December 2019" (What Is Coronavirus, 2021). According to Cambridge University Press, the term "Lockdown" specifies "A period of time in which people are not allowed to leave their homes or travel freely, because of a dangerous disease" (Cambridge University Press, 2021).

1. Identification of the study population. The study population will be pastors of African American churches within Connecticut's Greater New Haven County regardless of attendance size.

2. Data analysis. The collected data will be analyzed to achieve the objectives. The objectives include answering the research questions, testing the hypotheses, and reporting the final findings.

Creswell, J. W. (2002). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Morse, J. M. (1994). Designing funded qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 220-235). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Newman, I., & Benz, C. R. (1998). Qualitative-quantitative research methodology: Exploring the interactive continuum. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press

Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Johnson, R. B. (2004). Mixed method and mixed model research. In R.B. Johnson & L. B. Christensen, Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (pp. 408-431). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.