Ethnography as a Pastoral Practice: An Introduction

by Mary Clark Moschella

Ethnography as a Pastoral Practice invites you to open your eyes, ears and hearts to your congregation. By listening to their stories you will not only find out who they are but help them to better claim whose they are. By studying the "texts" of your community, Mary Clark Moschella helps you to understand their "contexts." Moschella will inspire you through actual cases to be more prophetic and priestly in ministry. Ethnography as a Pastoral Practice will, in a step-by-step fashion, help you and your congregation to embrace change and celebrate transformation. This revised second edition incorporates new scholarship on qualitative methods in ethnographic research and their spreading application in seminaries, universities, and divinity schools. As Moschella writes in her reflection on the book fourteen years after the publication of the first edition: "The teaching and practice of qualitative research methods help shape new generations of religious professionals in respectful modes of disciplined inquiry, enabling practitioners to learn about and from the communities they serve."

Genres: Nonfiction, Church, Theology, Christian, Grad School, Leadership

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2008

About the author

Mary Clark Moschella is Roger J. Squire Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Yale University School of Divinity, is the author or editor of three books and numerous articles in the area of pastoral research.

Reviews

[Anthony Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is useful but boring. I will need it but I need my toothbrush too. I’m maybe more excited by my toothbrush.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really well-thought out and well-written book on using ethnography in the congregational setting as a tool for bringing about change. The book brings an emphasis based on the idea that listening is an act of love. As I think about this book and about churches of which I am aware I am hard pressed to think of leaders who have the time available necessary to pursuing the full scope of ethnography as described herein. The book, however; is written so that readers and practitioners can draw from it as a resource even if not doing a full-scale ethnography.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

The potential value of marrying ethnography and pastoral practice is clearly established. The power of ethnographic listening to bring difficult matters out into the open and bring about a healing process is worth consideration. The author positions listening as "a liberating practice that validates and honors another person's experience, insight, and soul." Using ethnographic research as an agent of justice-oriented transformation is intriguing.

The author also presents the basic steps of completing a qualitative study using an ethnographic approach in an easy-to-understand manner. However, the book is light on examples, primarily relying on three examples throughout most of the book. Additionally, one of the examples seems to suggest that the size of a church is the best indicator of its health and mission achievement. The book takes a rather secular view of theology and spiritual practices. Christianity and Biblical study are rarely mentioned within a book focused on pastoral practice.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Step by step and chapter by chapter Dr. Moschella lays out practical abad theoretical considers for ethnography studies. This introduction is both a folksy what to do and not as well as professional can’t do without primer.

[JA · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10. Wish I had read more like this in seminary.

[Daunavan Buyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of good takeaways. At it's core this book is about learning to discern the story of your congregation and how to re-tell that story in a way that practices 'co-authouring' of the future. This book is very worth it for pastors who may be banging their heads against the wall trying to initiate congregational change. Not by any means an easy read.. but a profound one.

[Sandy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an extremely helpful complement to other books on ethnography I've read for school. This book helped me realize how these techniques can do more than just help me understand what's going on, but can also become a significant component of my pastoral practice moving forward. Excellent.

[Marcia King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Great ideas for understanding a congregation/issue/idea