<p>The objective of this study is to develop a multiple linear regression model that measures the relationship between the church services supply and the attendance to the services in the Uppsala diocese, Church of Sweden. By reviewing previous models and examining the nature of data available, two research questions were introduced, namely, the problem of omitted variables and the problem of spatial autocorrelation. For the first question, two methods were compared, namely, the Y-lag method and the first-differenced equation. Statistical tests then showed that the latter was more preferable for this study. For the second question, geographically weighted regression was used to examine the spatial variations in relationships estimated by above modeling strategies. However, no significant spatial variation was found for them. In conclusion, by using the ordinary least square estimation for the first-differenced equation the most suitable regression model was obtained. The data showed no need to consider the issue of spatial non-stationarity.</p>

The objective of this study is to develop a multiple linear regression model that measures the relationship between the church services supply and the attendance to the services in the Uppsala diocese, Church of Sweden. By reviewing previous models and examining the nature of data available, two research questions were introduced, namely, the problem of omitted variables and the problem of spatial autocorrelation. For the first question, two methods were compared, namely, the Y-lag method and the first-differenced equation. Statistical tests then showed that the latter was more preferable for this study. For the second question, geographically weighted regression was used to examine the spatial variations in relationships estimated by above modeling strategies. However, no significant spatial variation was found for them. In conclusion, by using the ordinary least square estimation for the first-differenced equation the most suitable regression model was obtained. The data showed no need to consider the issue of spatial non-stationarity.

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Current collective church services, where families in totality are coming together although the focus only falls on adults, do not address today’s post modern families. For this reason two tragic routes were began to be followed within the church: <ul> <ol><li>Parents with small children began to give up trying to pressure their children to attend services because they themselves realized that it was not working for them, and started to go to church without their children, while parents with teenagers allowed their teens to attend services of other churches where they felt that their needs were met. Parents who still tried to pressure their children into going to services with them, started to experience the tension surrounding that within their families as well as in themselves.</li> <li>Congregations started creating generative services where the different generations were served separately from each other, within the premise of specialized ministry on the level of each unique generation.</li> </ol></ul> The result of this was disastrous for families as well as the church in general. On the one hand family members were spiritually alienated from each other and covenant families were tore to pieces; on the other hand covenant families were alienated from their own Christian tradition and church foundation, while the role of parents as spiritual mentors of their children were minimilised. Because of this, more and more families began to plead for the addressing of their needs to be ministered to as a whole within the church service and to worship together, while covenant parents began to demand to be once again empowered as primary spiritual mentors of their children. Consequently the urgent need within the church had arisen for the implementation of family ministry, and especially family services, where families in totality can effectively be ministered to so that the needs of each family member will be met. Principles for such inter generative services, as well as sermons to post modern families within that context, is necessary to make such a cross generational ministry successful. Precisely this is the focus of this study. / Dissertation (MA (Research in Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Practical Theology / MA / unrestricted

Aim. To describe and compare parishioners’ and minister’s 1) existential, spiritual and religious experiences, 2) expectations and conceptions regard-ing the Church and the ecclesial activities and 3) in theological terms reflect over these experiences and conceptions. Method. A random, stratified, sample was constructed relating to parishion-ers and ministers in 24 parishes in the Stockholm bishopric, concerning men and women in the ages 25-65. The educational level of parishioners, was comparable to the average of Stockholm residents. Results. Both parishioners and ministers described several existential and spiritual/religious experiences. It was not clear if there were any differences between the two groups concerning spiritual/religious experiences. Yet, their experiences were interpreted in different ways, inasmuch that ministers more often interpreted their experiences in confessional terms. Parishioners thought that religion could be expressed in many different ways. They considered the divine services to be too rigid and distant and wished that ministers should be on their own level and not set themselves above ordinary people. The ministers could be placed on an continuum from sender orientation to receiver orientation due to their expectations and con-ceptions regarding the Church and the ecclesial activities. Sender orientation means to primarily start with the Church statement of faith. Receiver orienta-tion means, to primarily start with the parishioners from their own world-view where religion can be expressed in many different ways. The ministers presented in total 48% sender orientation descriptions and 52% receiver ori-entation. Comparable figures for the parishioners were 5% sender orientation and 95% receiver orientation. Conclusions. There seems to be a tension between, on one hand the view of a Church with an aim to meet the existential and spiritual needs of the pa-rishioners, and on the other hand a Church with a primary mission to com-municate the Christian articles of faith. If half of the ministers have a direc-tion in which parishioners have no interest and do not ask for, this might be a problem for the Church.

La liturgie a longtemps été considérée comme un marqueur identitaire fort des Églises luthériennes et réformées, qui avaient pour tradition de produire leur propre liturgie dont l’usage, normatif, ne variait pas. Les mutations socio-religieuses des dernières décennies, couplées avec les unions d’Églises en cours, ont révélé la grande diversité de liturgies mises en œuvre dans les paroisses d’une même Église. Cette diversité interroge particulièrement trois aspects ecclésiologiques : la vie liturgique, dans ses fondements et ses pratiques, la dynamique communautaire et notamment la place faite à la liturgie dans son déploiement et enfin l’identité ecclésiale, afin de savoir dans quelle mesure la liturgie traduit ou participe d’une identité. Le travail de recherche mené dans le cadre de ce doctorat part de ces trois volets pour dégager des critères liturgiques initiaux et transversaux pour les confronter aux données de terrain afin de mesurer l’écart entre ce qui est important dans la perspective théologique des Églises de la Réforme, ce qui est mis en œuvre dans les paroisses et ce qui est perçu par les paroissiens. / Liturgy has long been considered as a strong feature of the identity of Lutheran and Reformed Churches. It was their tradition to produce their own liturgy with a standardised and unvarying usage. Over the last few decades, social and religious changes, coupled with on-going unions between Churches have demonstrated the wide diversity of Liturgies used in the parishes of any one Church. In this diversity three ecclesiological aspects come particularly to the fore: liturgical life, in its foundations and practices, community dynamics and especially the place give to liturgy within this and finally ecclesial identity, in order to find out how far liturgy is a an expression of or an active part of identity. The research work carried out as part of this doctorate uses these three subjects to establish initial and transverse liturgical criteria and then compares these with data gathered in the field in order to assess the gap between what is important from a theological point of view for the Churches of the Reform, what is practiced in parishes and what is perceived by parishioners.