Ritual Practices in Congregational Identity Formation

Timothy D. Son is assistant professor of Christian education and youth ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He is the author of Educational Ministry for Congregational Identity Development and Asian Americans and Christian Ministry.

Part I: Discovering the Educational Efficacies of Ritual
1.Rituals for Congregational Formation
2.Ritual to Build, or to Deconstruct? Critical Reflection on Victor Turner’s Ritual Theory
3.Ritual Practice as a Process of Knowing

Part II: Educating Congregations for Identity Formation
4.Exploring the Anatomy of Congregational Identity: Learning Various Constitutive Elements of Congregational Identity
5.Painting a Congregation’s Self-portrait: Integrating Worldviews, Church Images and Core Values into a Congregation’s Self-images
6.Wrestling with a Cultural Goliath: The Challenges and Opportunities of Postmodern Society in Constructing Congregational Identity

Part III: Where Ritual Theory Meets Ministry Practice
7.Looking into a Portrait Artist’s Palette: Analyzing a Case Study of Ritual of Installation and Its Implications to Congregational Identity Construction
8.Practical Implications of Ritual Practice for Congregational Ministry

Appendix A—Survey Questionnaires
Appendix B—Worldview Test