Date of Award

1-1-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Pavel Shlossberg

Second Advisor

Dr. Heather Crandall

Abstract

This study was created to investigate how ministers of the Montana/Northern-Wyoming Partnership express the story and ritual of religion in changing social climates. It was designed to answer three questions. RQ1) How are mission activities interpreted, defined, and given form through the storytelling by the ministers within the Church? RQ2) How do ministers integrate the mission statement and the mission activities into their Bible based storytelling? RQ3) How and for what purpose do ministers incorporate or connect issues and ideas from the secular sphere into religious-based storytelling? Since the dramatic social and economic changes in Montana as a result of events like the Bakken oil fields, this study can potentially help ministers understand the effectiveness storytelling and ritual communication has in transmitting religious commentary tied to a social justice messages not only to a congregations, but also to a community. The study used Fisher’s narrative analysis to examine two ministers’ use of storytelling in their sermons and to suggest how story-telling and ritual works to connect sermons, church’s mission statements, and corresponding work for social justice.

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