A New Interview Tool for the Investigation into the Experiences of Spiritual Family within Church Communities

Abstract

Among the different images of community, some groups understand themselves in terms of family. This article explores the concept of found family within an ecclesial community. Braithwaite et al.’s four-part typology of voluntary kin provided the grounding for my new interview tool: The Experiences of the Church as Family research tool. This tool can aid in the exploration of church members’ experiences and desires for familial ties within their ecclesial communities. In this article, I outline the tool’s development, provide an example of its application, and present possibilities for future research in congregational contexts in addition to the tool’s potential use in ministry.