Tuesday, March 31, 2026
you’ve got research mail
Getting mail is the very exciting and deeply satisfying part of research.
And not just any mail, but parcels from the postie! Some local parcels from other parts of Aotearoa New Zealand. Some parcels from overseas.
Not just any parcels from the postie, but parcels with data! Inside the parcels are research diaries and survey forms. These contain insights from participants in the two different studies I’ve been running during Lent. One qualitative, the other quantitative, as I’ve researched the social impact of shared spiritual practices.
Much of the data collecting across the 7 congregations I’ve been working with this Lent has been electronic, through online surveys. But paper is more accessible for some participants. Which means more work at the start to print off copies and source research diaries. But at the end, it results in the exciting arrival of parcels 🙂.
I think I will be excited for a few more days before I pick up my orange and blue highlighters to signal the grind of analysis.
Friday, March 27, 2026
action research into spiritual practices takes the cake
I’m grateful for cake to mark the ending of another cohort of shared spiritual practice action research last night. It was a delightful gift from a grateful research participant. “But you’ve given so much,” they kindly explained.
During Lent 2026, I’ve shared silence with 5 folk face to face and 9 folk online. Silence for 10 minutes in week 1, 20 minutes in week 2, 30 minutes in week 3 and a focus group reflecting on the experience in week 4. I’ve gathered research data by seeking participant feedback on the experience through surveys start and end, individual diary keeping, the focus group and my observation.
It’s been enormously rewarding personally, to sit in silence with others and then to reflect with them on the benefits and challenges. The shared silence has also been a significant extension on the John Templeton funded research on spiritual practices I was doing last year. As a result of this year’s work, I now have 4 cohorts and 22 participants from 3 congregations who have shared silence over a four week period. My researching means that I have lots of reckons about the social impact of shared silence and it’s impact on individual, group and societal vitality. But before I share my reckons, I need to analyse the data.
After cake of course!
My thanks to the private trust who are making this slice (pun intended) of the research possible. And if other private trusts are interested in funding high-quality research into the impact of spiritual practices on congregational vitality, do get in touch 🙂!
Monday, March 23, 2026
My Edge-Walkers contributions as Director AngelWings Ltd
I’m thrilled to have been a co-editor with Rev. Dr Karina Kreminski and Dr Armen Gakavian of Edge-walkers: Reimagining faith, church and theology.
Steve Taylor, Director AngelWings Ltd, holding Edgewalkers
Edge-walkers showcases 20 incredible people who are doing things differently in the church and in their faith. Each chapter uses memoir theology to describe their experiences of being an edge-walker and begins with a one word heading. Examples include Neighbourhood, Evangelism, Eucharist, Paki-Paki, Misfit, Mystic, Play, Trauma, Earthy, Kenosis, Making, Gathering, Digital, Decolonisation, Art, Malagigiri and Liminal.
My contribution to Edge-walkers included involvement with each chapter, offering feedback. It also included sharing with Karina Kreminski and Armen Gakavian in writing the introduction and conclusion. Plus I wrote a chapter, with the one word heading Making, which explored some of my edge-walking experience in South Australia as I was hosted by the Ngarrindjeri nation, who are the Traditional Owners of the Lower Murray, Lakes and Coorong.
Edge-walkers is the 2nd book I’ve co-edited, following on from Transforming Work in 2024, with Brill in their Theology and Mission in World Christianity series. A focus of my editing in both books is my commitment to encourage authors and develop knowledge in mission. My thanks to AngelWings Ltd, who gave me the pro-bono space to work on both of these books.
Edge-walkers is published by At the Edges publishing, a new indie business in Sydney and is available from Amazon (here)
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