Thursday, June 26, 2025
Blessed are the ethnographers
Blessed are those who observe (Psalm 106:3).
After 21 sessions facilitating shared spiritual practice, this week I found myself starting to run out of pages in my participant observation research journal. Which meant I was blessed to be able to buy a second research journal.
I am conducting action research into the social impact of spiritual practices. As part of a John Templeton funded project, I’m currently running 4 cohorts in the late afternoon and evenings. I’m gathering data through focus groups, along with short surveys at the start, middle and end. I’m also inviting participants to keep a weekly journal, to help me understand their individual experiences over time. Finally, I’m also observing. Which means taking notes of responses and interactions.
After every session, I write these notes up as research memos. Often stretching to 3 pages, these research memos will help me remember what happened, when I come to analyse the data in a few months time. The research memos also enable me to record my experiences, helping me get the impressions in my own head down on paper, as a further source of data.
My observations of 21 sessions mean pages and pages of notes. So a milestone this week, after 20 hours of facilitating and observing, at the three-quarter mark, to realise I would need a another brand new research journal.
In a curious quirk, the Psalm for this morning offered encouragement. First, in ways similar to the beatitudes, God blesses those who observe. Ethnography and research memos gain God’s favour. They are empirical methods that value human interactions, create structure in gathering data from lived experience and make the researcher transparent.
The rest of Psalm 106, verse 3 provides a reason for observing – “do what is just.” Ethnography invites critical reflection on the practices of the church. Practical theologians use observation as a tool in bringing change.
Sometimes church practices contribute to injustice. When that happens, ethnography and observation become a prophetic call for change. Sometimes church practices contribute to life. When that happens, ethnography and observation offers encouragement in the seeking of God’s justice hear on earth.
I’m glad that my ethnographic research is blessed :).
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