Religious interview

Religious Interview Research-Based Essay

For this assignment, you will conduct a personal interview with a religious leader, who can be from your local community, town, or city, OR someone with whom you make a contact online representative of a certain religion. NOTE: If you are a part of religious community, interview somebody from OUTSIDE of your own organization. Possible interviewees could be a pastor, rabbi, priest, or imam. The idea is to speak with someone who has a leadership role in a religious community, whether that is a church, synagogue/temple, mosque, gurdwara, etc.

Step One: Schedule an appointment with the person if the person agrees to an interview. Explain this is for a college assignment in a religion class. For the persons convenience (and yours), you could have a Zoom meeting with the person online. Of course, you could meet with the person face-to-face. Assure the person that this is only being used for a class assignment (or paper).

Step Two: Ask the person if it is OK for you to record so you can take notes. Always ask for permission. Of course, you can take notes, but you want to keep eye contact to let the person know you are interested.

IMPORTANT: You are required to submit a picture of you and your interviewee. If you are on the computer, make a screenshot of the two of you. The picture MUST be submitted along with your paper. (Tell the person that the professor is the only one who needs the picture for the assignment.)

Step Three: Here are the recommended questions.

1. Get your interviewees preferred name, title, how long the person has been in that role, a basic leadership description, and a little bit about your interviewees background (work history, etc.) Then ask…

2. What do you think is/are the most important part(s) or characteristic(s) of your religion?

3. What do you want others to know about your religion?

4. What do you think is the most unique aspect/part of your religion?

5. What makes you a strong believer in your faith?

6. What is the average weekly attendance for your religious community? What age ranges participate in your religious communitys activities and services?

7. Is your religious community growing? If not, why?

6. What are some of your religious traditions, rituals? Which do you favor most?

7. How does observing or performing these rituals affect your daily life?

8. Does your religion provide a guide for your future path?

9. Does your community of faith always stand behind you in a time of need? How?

10. What are some of the greatest challenges you face as a leader within your religious community? What do you see for the future of your religious community?

Step Four: Review your notes. Now, go back to Chapter 1 in our textbook. Write down FIVE (5) points/facts mentioned in Chapter 1 that in some way tie/connect to something your interviewee said. Write those as direct quotes from the chapter. Be sure to put quotation marks around those, and make an internal citation for each one. Example: Religions have cognitive (thinking) dimensions that teach their followers what is necessary to know (Van Voorst 10). Be sure to use APA formatting.

Step Five: Go to the Religion and Philosophy Collection database within Columbia College’s Edens Library. Access the database using the Library and Edens Learning Commons link on our Canvas course site.

Step Six: With this Religion and Philosophy database, find three (3) articles that tie in/relate to something your interviewee said. For example, if your interviewee said that their churchs attendance is declining because fewer young people who are going to church, find a recent article about church attendance in America. Another example would be that if you were interested in how your interviewee shared how their religion/faith values baptism, find an article dealing with baptism in that particular religion.

Step Seven: Using APA-formatting for your paper, write a 3-4 page summary (double-space) (Times New Roman 12) of what you discovered from what your interviewee. Give your paper an interesting title—Example: Reflections from a Southern Baptist Pastor: What It Means to Be a Preacher. Provide an introduction telling who your interviewee is, a little bit about your interviewees role and background; then go through and maybe pick three major insights your interviewee shared and elaborate on those. Include actual quotes from your interviewee as you relate your report. Somewhere in your paper, pull the quotes you identified from Chapter 1 in the textbook and the quotes from your three articles from the Central Carolina Library. Make sure you blend these quotes into your paper. In other words, dont just throw them in. Move into them smoothly in your paper, using transitions, etc.

Step Eight: Proof your paper carefully. Read it out loud to correct any errors. Be sure to include page numbers in your internal citations that correspond with the textbook. Include a References page at the end for your paper. Use APA formatting, NOT MLA.

Step Nine: Submit your paper to the designated assignment folder. Be sure you have also included the picture of you and your interviewee, as required.