Original Research - Special Collection: Church

Being together in youth worship: An empirical study in Protestant Dutch contexts

Ronelle Sonnenberg, Malan Nel, Jos de Kock, Marcel Barnard
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 71, No 2 | a2832 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v71i2.2832 | © 2015 Ronelle Sonnenberg, Malan Nel, Jos de Kock, Marcel Barnard | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 08 October 2014 | Published: 31 August 2015

About the author(s)

Ronelle Sonnenberg, Research Center Youth, Church, Culture (OJKC) at the Protestant Theological University (PThU), The Netherlands
Malan Nel, Department of Practical Theology, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Jos de Kock, Department of Practical Theology of the Protestant Theological University (PThU), The Netherlands and Research Center Youth, Church, Culture (OJKC)
Marcel Barnard, Department of Practical Theology of the Protestant Theological University (PThU), The Netherlands; Liturgical Studies at VU University, The Netherlands; Department of Practical Theology, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa

Abstract

In a qualitative empirical research project on youth worship, we discovered that ‘being together’ is primary quality of youth worship. This primary quality consists of at least four aspects. Firstly, community is celebrated through physical presence. More specifically, the physical presence of siblings plays an important part in the participation of youth in worship. Secondly, an empathetic and emotional aspect is essential for adolescents. ‘Being together’ in youth worship means being together in unity and trust and in equality, as kindred spirits. Thirdly, ‘being together’ in youth worship yields possibilities to cross social and ecclesiological boundaries. Fourthly, there is a theological aspect in ‘being together’ that could be described as ‘sharing faith and being in God’s presence’.

Keywords

Adolescence; Youth worship; Being together; Participation; Qualitative empirical research;

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