The Christian church in the electronic age: one congregation's use of presentational technologies in worship services

How do church leaders who incorporate media into worship services manage the tensions that arise between presentation and spirituality? By conducting a study at Foothills Christian Fellowship Church, I was able to gain a better understanding of how this is accomplished from the perspective of the church's leaders. Additionally, the study illustrates how individuals' socialization to media use results in media becoming an integral component in the social construction of reality. Qualitative research methods including in-depth interviewing with the leaders of the church and observational study of the worship services were used to conduct the research. By employing the theoretical lens of the phenomenological perspective I was able to further understand how the senior pastors of the church along with the other church leaders, have "constructed a common knowledge" via the establishment of a hierarchically reinforced ideology regarding media use set by the senior pastors. Furthermore, this "constructed knowledge" leads to a phenomenon amongst the church leaders that I refer to as "speaking with one voice," and ensures that all leadership members are in concurrence regarding the appropriation of media in worship. Concomitantly, this agreement amongst the church leaders allows them to manage many of the tensions that arise with mediated worship. However, the use of media at Foothills does not come without its obstacles. Key Words: Religion, Christianity, Technology, Media, Worshlp, Phenomenology, Hierarchically