Identity Tug Of War

Abstract

Practical theology grapples with specific challenges arising from practical experiences, which in the present work have to do with the community of the church and the mechanisms that foster a sense of belonging. In this dissertation, a deeper understanding of communal identity within faith communities is explored through the lens of social identity theory (SIT). This contributes to the practice and theory of Christian leadership by providing a thick description of identification factors that are present in communities of faith. This was done through a survey of four churches, narrative interviews with three churches, and presentations to three church leaders. From this narrative inquiry, it is concluded that the concepts and tools of SIT are useful and effective in developing greater awareness of congregational identity among leaders and of how this impacts people’s experiences of belonging.