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Exploring why emerging adults are choosing to belong to emerging churches
Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613747427672064 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Hartzer, Eljoh |
| author2 | Cloete, Anita |
| author_browse | Cloete, Anita Hartzer, Eljoh |
| author_facet | Cloete, Anita Hartzer, Eljoh |
| author_sort | Hartzer, Eljoh |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131671 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:01.634Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131671 Exploring why emerging adults are choosing to belong to emerging churches Hartzer, Eljoh Cloete, Anita Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology & Missiology. Emerging church movement -- South Africa Postmodernism -- Religious aspects -- Christianity -- South Africa Christianity -- 21st century -- South Africa Generation Y -- Religious life -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH SUMMARY: This study explored why emerging adults in South Africa choose to belong to emerging churches. Emerging adulthood, encompassing the ages between 18 and 25, is a time marked by considering all available options before making choices that have long-lasting effects on the rest of a person’s life. Emerging adults are also making choices about where they attend church. During emerging adulthood, youth fall away from the church completely in the international phenomenon known as “the missing generation”. In South Africa, this is not the case. Emerging adults here walk away from the churches they grew up in to experiment with different kinds of churches. A local expression of the emerging church is fast-growing in South Africa, but it has not been researched thoroughly across academic spheres, indicating the value of this study. A Venn diagram approach highlights six points of overlap between emerging adults and these emerging churches, namely: spiritual, international, intergenerational, missional, hospitable, and multicultural. Both emerging adults and emerging churches are leading the way to a new way of doing and being church because they operate as agents of change wherever they are. This study gathered qualitative data through semi-structured interviews that were conducted with 21 emerging adult members of 4 emerging churches in Stellenbosch, to understand their experiences and expectations of church. The data obtained suggests that this generation of young believers is passionately committed to their churches and their faith and confirmed that the six points of overlap that the literature review identified are relevant. In their own way, they are figuring out how to live as faithfully as they can in their personal relationship with Jesus, which also propels them to desire a missional impact. The phenomenon that motivated this study is that emerging adults are often missing from mainline churches and experimenting with emerging churches instead. This study initiated a storytelling conversation with emerging adult members of emerging churches that offered valuable insights for how to be church for a future generation. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het ontdek hoekom opkomende volwassenes (emerging adults) in Suid-Afrika kies om deel te vorm van opkomende kerke (emerging churches). Opkomende volwassenheid word beskryf as die tydperk tussen die ouderdomme van 18 tot 25 en word gekenmerk deur die noukeurige oordenking van alle beskikbare opsies voordat besluite geneem word wat die res van ‘n persoon se lewe beïnvloed. Opkomende volwassenes maak ook keuses oor waar hulle kerk bywoon. Gedurende hierdie tyd in ‘n persoon se lewe, val jeug gereeld totaal weg van die kerk af in die internasionale verskynsel bekend as die vermiste generasie. In Suid-Afrika is dit nie die geval nie. Opkomende volwassenes hier verlaat die kerke waarin hulle grootgeword het om te ekperimenteer ander tipes kerke. Die Suid-Afrikaanse uitdrukking van die opkomende kerk groei vinnig in beroemdheid, maar dit was nog nie deeglik ondersoek in verskeie akademiese velde nie, wat aandui waarom hierdie studie waardevol is. ‘n Venn diagram benadering toon ses punte wat opkomende volwassenes en opkomende kerke in gemeen het, naamlik: spiritueel, intergenasioneel, missionaliteit, gasvryheid, en multi-kultureel of diversiteit. Beide opkomende volwassenes en opkomende kerke breek die baan vir ‘n nuwe manier om kerk te doen en wees aangesien hulle optree as agente van verandering waar ookal hul is. Hierdie studie het kwalitatiewe data ingesamel deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude wat gevoer was met 21 opkomende volwassene lede van 4 opkomende kerke in Stellenbosch om ‘n beter verstaan te kry van hul ervarings en verwagtinge met betrekking tot kerk. Die data verwerf uit die onderhoude stel voor dat hierdie generasie jong gelowiges passievol toegewyd is tot hul kerke en hul geloof en dit het bevestig dat die ses punte van ooreenkoms wat die literatuur oorsig na vore gebring het relevant is. In hul eie manier is hulle besig om te bepaal hoe om hul geloof so getrou as moontlik uit te lewe in hul persoonlike verhouding met Jesus, wat hulle ook motiveer tot ‘n missionale impak. Die verskynsel wat hierdie studie gemotiveer het is dat opkomende volwassenes gereeld vermis word van hoofstroom kerke en eerder eksperimenteer met opkomende kerke. Hierdie studie het ‘n storie-vertel gesprek begin met die opkomende volwasse lede van opkomende kerke wat waardevolle insigte bied tot hoe om kerk te wees vir ‘n toekomstige generasie. Masters 2025-02-05T07:52:16Z 2025-02-05T07:52:16Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131671 en_ZA Stellenbosch University xi, 122 pages : illustrations, maps, includes annexures application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Emerging church movement -- South Africa Postmodernism -- Religious aspects -- Christianity -- South Africa Christianity -- 21st century -- South Africa Generation Y -- Religious life -- South Africa UCTD Hartzer, Eljoh Exploring why emerging adults are choosing to belong to emerging churches |
| title | Exploring why emerging adults are choosing to belong to emerging churches |
| title_full | Exploring why emerging adults are choosing to belong to emerging churches |
| title_fullStr | Exploring why emerging adults are choosing to belong to emerging churches |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring why emerging adults are choosing to belong to emerging churches |
| title_short | Exploring why emerging adults are choosing to belong to emerging churches |
| title_sort | exploring why emerging adults are choosing to belong to emerging churches |
| topic | Emerging church movement -- South Africa Postmodernism -- Religious aspects -- Christianity -- South Africa Christianity -- 21st century -- South Africa Generation Y -- Religious life -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131671 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hartzereljoh exploringwhyemergingadultsarechoosingtobelongtoemergingchurches |