Explorations in Ecclesiology and Ethnography (Studies in Ecclesiology and Ethnography)

by Christian B. Scharen

Ethnographic tools cannot do this alone, however; the field of theology is needed in two closely related ways. First, out of the many things to notice in a congregation, how do we know what counts as theological activity? To use an earlier example, ethnography is poorly equipped to distinguish when a budget makes a theological claim or when it is simply a budget. Congregational studies, therefore, looks to the field of theology to attend not only to its customary focus on doctrines and texts but also to the less familiar but equally complicated matter of the ordinary, concrete ways people do theology through their actions, resources, gatherings, and so forth. Second, once we are clearer about what counts as theology, do ethnographic methods still sometimes get in the way? If research tools assume that religious activity is driven only by secular motivations, for example, it is doubtful one can take theological realities very seriously.22