Case Study Presentation: LCBC

Church
I studied the LCBC church, which stands for Lives Changed by Christ.

Summary of religious identity and mission
LCBC is a nondenominational Christian church that focuses on fostering a sense of community and an atmosphere of openness so that people feel that they are to express their thoughts, feelings and share questions about the faith; this group's mission is to "introduce people to Jesus and together fully follow him."

2 examples from my research that backs my claim
A large part of this church's religious identity focuses on community, I've seen examples of this in the messages they communicate and the language they use, which often refers to following and serving Jesus together, this is further demonstrated by the multiple groups they have at the church in the hopes that people find their niche.



Furthermore, when I visited the church, I could see how committed they were to retaining visitors, they had a guest section, an area for people interested in joining the church permanently that refers to their Next Steps program, which I first discovered on their website, and the day after I visited I received an email from the pastor thanking me for joining them and inviting me to come back.


How does this church see/approach media
I would argue this this church largely views media as a conduit. Their website is structured so that it can convey information to current, but arguably more so, potential/interested members. I say this because the website informs people of the different opportunities that church offers and it tells people how to get in contact with the right members so one can join these groups.
I also think this group sees media as a conduit because every Sunday the main pastor preaches at one location and then that sermon is broadcasted on a screen at various times and locations. In this way LCBC expresses their view of media as a way to transfer information as opposed to a way of knowing or as a social institution. They have demonstrated a use of media in their sermons as being positive; it is because they have media that they are able to structure their church the way it is.



Areas/questions for feedback
Religious Identity: 
Do you think I explained LCBC's religious identity well enough? How would you recommend I further express this groups' religious identity?
Networked Society:
Based on the ways that I have talked about LCBC do you think they portray a convergent practice or multisite reality?


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