How do new forms of being church emerge in mainline churches and what does it tell about patterns, dynamics and competition?

This article deals with the conditions for the emergence of new forms of church, especially in the perspective of top-down dynamics: how do bottom and top relate to each other in the development of new churches? To do research in this realm can help church leaders in initiating new churches: Is it...

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Main Author: Thomas Schlegel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Radboud University Press 2025-06-01
Series:Ecclesial Futures
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ecclesialfutures.org/article/view/22491
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author Thomas Schlegel
author_facet Thomas Schlegel
author_sort Thomas Schlegel
collection DOAJ
description This article deals with the conditions for the emergence of new forms of church, especially in the perspective of top-down dynamics: how do bottom and top relate to each other in the development of new churches? To do research in this realm can help church leaders in initiating new churches: Is it possible to control the process in a more direct way – not only by establishing the right conditions? I focus in this paper on data collected from the Erprobungsräume (church start-ups) in the Evangelical Church of Central Germany. The results contradict in a way the powerful narrative that new churches emerge at the grassroots level far away from traditional institutions. There are basically four ways top and bottom interact. It would be interesting to validate the results in other areas/churches.
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spelling doaj-art-21e72c876f924a7cbb09061e3476093d2025-08-20T03:21:50ZengRadboud University PressEcclesial Futures2770-66562770-66642025-06-016110.54195/ef22491How do new forms of being church emerge in mainline churches and what does it tell about patterns, dynamics and competition?Thomas Schlegel0Universität Halle, MKG This article deals with the conditions for the emergence of new forms of church, especially in the perspective of top-down dynamics: how do bottom and top relate to each other in the development of new churches? To do research in this realm can help church leaders in initiating new churches: Is it possible to control the process in a more direct way – not only by establishing the right conditions? I focus in this paper on data collected from the Erprobungsräume (church start-ups) in the Evangelical Church of Central Germany. The results contradict in a way the powerful narrative that new churches emerge at the grassroots level far away from traditional institutions. There are basically four ways top and bottom interact. It would be interesting to validate the results in other areas/churches. https://ecclesialfutures.org/article/view/22491New forms of churchChurch innovationChurch Movements Top-down or bottom-up church change?church institutions
spellingShingle Thomas Schlegel
How do new forms of being church emerge in mainline churches and what does it tell about patterns, dynamics and competition?
Ecclesial Futures
New forms of church
Church innovation
Church Movements
Top-down or bottom-up church change?
church institutions
title How do new forms of being church emerge in mainline churches and what does it tell about patterns, dynamics and competition?
title_full How do new forms of being church emerge in mainline churches and what does it tell about patterns, dynamics and competition?
title_fullStr How do new forms of being church emerge in mainline churches and what does it tell about patterns, dynamics and competition?
title_full_unstemmed How do new forms of being church emerge in mainline churches and what does it tell about patterns, dynamics and competition?
title_short How do new forms of being church emerge in mainline churches and what does it tell about patterns, dynamics and competition?
title_sort how do new forms of being church emerge in mainline churches and what does it tell about patterns dynamics and competition
topic New forms of church
Church innovation
Church Movements
Top-down or bottom-up church change?
church institutions
url https://ecclesialfutures.org/article/view/22491
work_keys_str_mv AT thomasschlegel howdonewformsofbeingchurchemergeinmainlinechurchesandwhatdoesittellaboutpatternsdynamicsandcompetition