Report sheds lights on what could be historic church shift across religious divide

The study from Queen’s University which was published today sheds light on how churches are navigating Covid-19 including moving religion online and inter-church co-operation.

During most of the pandemic church buildings across the island have been closed for worship due to restrictions on public gatherings. When churches have been open, strict social distancing protocols have limited the numbers who can attend in person.

One of the key findings from the research – the result of 32 in-depth interviews with clergy from different denominations in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic – was the perceptions of what church is and what it does may be starting to shift in response to the pandemic.

The research was conducted by Dr Gladys Ganiel from the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s.

The findings complement an earlier survey of faith leaders on the island, the results of which were published in a May 2020 report.

Dr Ganiel said: “New findings include a range of perspectives on how God may be working during the pandemic, with a strong emphasis on God coming alongside us during the pandemic, as well as evidence that some people are asking whether the pandemic is God’s judgement.”

She said this was a minority view, with clergy generally encouraging people to think along the lines that God was coming alongside people, often through the kind and selfless actions of others.

Dr Ganiel said: “The interviews also revealed shifting understandings of what it means to ‘be church’, prioritising the role of lay volunteers and moving faith outside the walls of church buildings. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for a shift in emphasis among clergy to the idea that church is something other than a building.

“In addition, there was evidence of what could be a historic shift in national level inter-church relations. Inter-church cooperation at this level has been more frequent and united during the pandemic than at perhaps any other time, with unprecedented levels of collaboration around pandemic-related issues such as closing and re-opening church buildings; as well as issues like Brexit and dealing with the past in Northern Ireland.

“Given the island’s religiously-divided past, such cooperation – if sustained – could provide churches with a solid platform from which to contribute to societal debate in the years ahead.”

The report is available via www.irishchurches.org