As long as I have known him, Brian Schrag has quipped that research is ministry is love. That statement captures something essential, true, and profoundly biblical. In the hecticness of our work, where projects and goals dictate our rhythms, it is easy to rush past the sacred moments that make research meaningful—that make research into ministry. As Christian researchers, we strive to capture more than just data, and we are motivated by more than knowledge of the world—we aim to understand deeply, uncover beauty, and see lives transformed.
Creating Local Arts Together explores a relational dynamic based on the life of Jesus and found in Philippians 2: be with–learn from–work toward (Schrag 2013, xxii). Just as Jesus did, we spend time with people and learn from them. Together, we work toward a better future, a flourishing community, and transformed lives. More recently, I listened to an episode of The Discerning Leader Podcast featuring photographer and videographer Amy Murgatroyd (Macchia and Murgatroyd 2021). I was captivated by how intensely she thinks about her work, capturing glimpses of the lives of families in images. As I listened, I reflected on how connected her approach is to how I think about research.
In this paradigm, research begins with slowing down. In a frantic world, pausing to observe, listen, and learn is an act of resistance. We stop, step back from assumptions, and try to see and know what is before us. Christian researchers do not simply collect data; they enter into relationships with people, noticing the small, beautiful, ordinary, and profound. They are co-creating with the community, knowing and being known. This relationality reveals something more significant about the human condition, the Kingdom of Heaven, and the need for Good News.
Christian researchers should be humble. Much like Amy Murgatroyd frames an image to center on the subject and their story rather than herself and her story, the researcher diminishes themselves to foreground those they learn from. The best research does not impose meaning; it invites the observer to ask: What is being revealed here? What story is unfolding? And as Christians: What is God doing? Understanding others’ lives and experiences requires intellectual curiosity and profound love. We seek not to impose our own narrative but to uncover truth, goodness, and beauty. Empathy points us toward that deep human longing for knowing and being known.
Researchers, like photographers, try to capture and share what they see. Good research does not manufacture but reveals: It honors the participants by allowing them to speak. Our work is about helping communities flourish. People long to be noticed, understood, and known. Research from a Christian perspective is not merely about collecting data or proving something; it is about relationships. As researchers, our work is an act of love—paying attention, listening well, and creating space for the beauty of God’s creation to be revealed as lives are transformed.
References
Macchia, Steve, and Amy Murgatroyd. 2021. “Capturing Emotive Images | Discerning God Emotionally and Relationally Episode 04 – Leadership Transformations.” The Discerning Leader Podcast. Accessed November 22, 2024. [https://www.leadershiptransformations.org/podcast/2021/10/14/capturing-emotive-images-discerning-god-emotionally-and-relationally-episode-04/.]
Schrag, Brian. 2013. Creating Local Arts Together: A Manual to Help Communities to Reach Their Kingdom Goals. Edited by James Krabill. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.
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