Research

Applied Research

Applied research is original work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge with a specific application in view. Often it is undertaken to determine new ways of achieving specific and predetermined objectives. Applied research is a proven approach to community research which assumes that solutions to community issues can be found within the community and that the role of applied research is to deepen understanding of the issues, obtain new information, clearly articulate the issues, and assist those affected to develop and implement an appropriate response.

EGC uses applied research to understand both the changing needs of urban communities and the resources and programs we can offer to support urban churches in their work. In addition, churches ask EGC to provide them with information and program models so they can make decisions and do their work more effectively. Our many years of experience have given EGC an understanding of how to work with churches to design well-planned and sustainable ministries that positively impact low-income urban community systems. Many churches look to EGC, rather than to secular or other sources, for this kind of support because we understand how churches operate, have developed strong relationships in the urban church community, have a strong track record of service, and know how to communicate our findings and recommendations effectively to pastors and church leaders. Because of this, church leaders trust that EGC will keep their best interests at heart.

Many of our findings are published in the Emmanuel Research Review.

These are some examples of our applied research:

  • Educating Urban Christians in the 21st Century. In 1997, EGC researched for The Pew Charitable Trust how to make seminary education more accessible for urban Christians. What we found, however, was that urban Christians were not going to college, let alone seminary, and that increasing access to higher education in urban communities was much more pressing than improving seminary education.  Based on this research, we formed a 5-year partnership with the Nellie Mae Foundation and established church-based Higher Education Resource Centers (HERCs) in Boston (two sites), Brockton, Lawrence and Worcester. HERCs provide information and academic enrichment to help local community members (whether affiliated with the church or not) to gain access to higher education. Each year, the five HERCs served 1,000 middle and high school students, most of whom are not members of the host churches.  Also as a result of this study, we developed the College Success Initiative, which encourages churches and community organizations to start or to enhance support groups for students entering or attending college. The program also works with colleges and schools to provide technical assistance in matters of diversity, and connects them with urban churches and other inner-city groups.
  • The Boston Church Directory. EGC has been documenting the changing face of churches in Boston since 1970. In analyzing the various editions of the directory, a trend was identified that EGC has labeled “The Quiet Revival.” The data collected in these studies indicates that despite popular perception which indicates that churches in Boston are on the decline, the number of churches in Boston has grown exponentially in the last 35 years. This growth has gone unnoticed because it has occurred largely in non-white, ethnic churches and communities. The results of this analysis have served as a foundation for the work of the Intercultural Leadership Council (see below). In recent years, through assistance provided by EGC, similar directories were was published in Springfield, MA, and Lynn, MA.
  • Boston’s Book of Acts. A multicultural initiative began with a request from a local pastor to understand the vision of church leaders from diverse ethnic communities. Emmanuel Gospel Center convened a diverse committee of individuals from 14 different ethnic groups (including Chinese, Korean, Hispanic, Haitian, African), and planned a large Multicultural Leadership Consultation on November 9, 2002. At this consultation, EGC presented a working study called Boston’s Book of Acts. This study builds upon EGC’s past research on “The Quiet Revival” (mentioned above) and explores the development of ethnic churches and communities as documented members of the different groups. Also at the consultation, information was gathered on church development, social concerns (e.g., resettlement and youth issues) and visions for the future of each community. A member was delegated by each ethnic group to form the Multicultural Leadership Council, whose mission is to collectively design strategies to identify and address common issues. ERI continues to convene this group periodically and to provide research support for the strategic efforts.

Staff

  • , Senior Researcher
  • , Research Associate

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