Introduction
Church is generally considered to be a place of worship for believers and people who are willing to have a conversation with God and ask different type of personal and non-personal questions. For this research paper, Queens Bible Church, which is located in Glendale, New York, the United States of America, was approved for examination. In overall, the internal and external activities related to Queens Bible Church can be linked to the main theoretical principles of the structural functionalism sociological concept due to the presence of a factor of cooperation.
The Place of Worship
This paper is mainly focused on conducting an interpretative qualitative observation research study by selecting a place of worship in Glendale, New York, 11385 and thoroughly describing and analyzing it. In this case, Queens Bible Church located in 7306 Cooper Avenue, Glendale, New York was chosen. This place of worship is considered to be a Baptist church for all citizens of the district and all people who are willing to visit the church and pray. Identical churches frequently provide music types such as traditional hymn book and choir, classic hymns, and current singing. Children’s evangelism, community work, youth leader, early adulthood, and missionaries are all common for these types of churches. Baptists are a prominent denomination of Protestantism defined by the fact that they only baptize confessing Christian followers by thorough immersion (Hughes 5). People in Queens Bible Church, such as in other Baptist churches, believe in the principles of soul competence, sola faith, sola values, and congregationalist religious administration. Baptists are general Christians who accept the same basic views as other Protestants but consider that exclusively believers are to be immersed and that it needs to be done in water.
History
Concerning the history of the selected place of worship, it is feasible to state that Queens Bible Church, which was established in 1987, is a place with a relatively long and rich separate history. Initially, it is obligatory to emphasize that the church has its own slogan, which includes only three words ministers, equippers, and encouragers. According to this motto, it is possible to assume that the church is solely dedicated to the principles of Baptism and Christianity in general. Indeed, Queens Bible Church from a historical perspective can be described as a modern place of worship and church that supports the use of information and communication technologies in order to maintain public presence. The church and its administration were able to create a website with the help of which they can share relevant news and publish current changes or other content related to the main field of activity. According to the Figure 1, it is noticeable that the church organizes its worships and sessions in its own building in comfortable conditions
The staff of Queens Bible Church is officially compiled of three people: two pastors and one individual involved in administrative operations. The lead pastor of the church is Timothy Joseph Oyos, Ralph Jordan Judan possesses the duties of a youth pastor and administrator simultaneously, whereas Roselle Bautista is the digital media assistant A significant difference regarding Queens Bible Church in comparison with other places of worship is that its pastors and administrators were able to form specific mission and vision statements of the church. In fact, these are official statements that are generated to illustrate the direction of work and further development in a concrete organization or company. The vision statement if Queens Bible Church is connected to seeing Jesus Christ followers who fervently love both God and people (Queens Bible Church). Furthermore, the mission statement is linked to establishing connections with individuals, preparing them for ministry, and encouraging them to spread the idea of faith (Queens Bible Church). In addition, it is essential to note that the church recognizes itself and its scope of activity utilizing three concepts or functional names: Christian church, religious organization, and religious center.
Interview
Referring to the interview section, it is feasible to state that two individuals that are connected to Queens Bible Church and its events, worships, and services were interviewed for this part of the paper. Concerning the information about the experiences and the history of the place of worship, the people were able to provide his personal evidence. According to the first interview, Queens Bible Church is considered to be a highly-respected and acknowledged Baptist church that engages district’s citizens and all believers in its religious activities. As per the second respondent, Queens Bible Church is additionally appreciated by the believers due to its staff members that are truly professionals in their field and attempt to organize high-quality worships, particularly the lead pastor Timothy Joseph Oyos. Based on the respondents’ experiences with the place of worship, they both are totally satisfied with both the conditions in which processes are performed and the general essence and idea of the church. According to the second interview, the selected place of worship was able to become assimilated into the neighborhood due to forming a strong sense of connection among the members.
With a specific emphasis on the separation between church and state and related factors, it is possible to mention the integration of Queens Bible Church into the socioeconomic and community processes. As per the respondent, firstly, the church operates as a concrete organization that strives to establish positive relationships with its members, build trust, and create a great external image. Thus, the church organizes online services and worships that are distributed via social networks and are recognized by public authorities as official worships. Moreover, Queens Bible Church, as a religious organization, participates in various social and community activities, ranging from charitable events to educational meetings, which can be seen in Figure 2. Hence, the selected place of worship is involved in civic and social services organizations, including charity; particularly, Queens Bible Church created care groups, which are small churches meeting locally to discuss social questions. Consequently, according to the discussion of the community-based activities of the church, it can be concluded that no substantial separation between church and state occurs in this scenario due to the involvement in public initiatives.
Demographic Statistics
Concerning the demographic statistics of the 11385 district, data regarding population’s features can be highlighted. In fact, according to the Social Explorer and the corresponding statistical information, the median age of the neighborhood is estimated as 35.2 years old (U.S. Census Bureau). Considering the population by age prevalence factor, as per the data statistics, the majority of people, or 17.61%, belong to the age category ranging from 30 to 39 years old (U.S. Census Bureau). Based on the Figure 3, underlining sex, race, and ethnicity, it is possible to state that, according to the numbers, there is an approximately identical proportion of men and women in the neighborhood (U.S. Census Bureau). At the same time, there are differences in terms of race and ethnicity that are noticeable, for instance, White and Hispanic people constitute the majority of the population with a total of more than 90% (U.S. Census Bureau). Representatives of Asian ethnicity occupy the third place and African American community is the fourth one. Consequently, the neighborhood can be described as a relatively diverse in connection to race and ethnicity.
Regarding a comparison, it can be noted that the age structure of the church correlates with the age structure of the neighborhood since individuals aged from 30 to 40 are frequently noticed. In contrast, concerning the features of sex, race, and ethnicity, it was observed that Asian and African American representatives constitute a considerable part of the group members on Queens Bible Church. In terms of people and personal factors, it is feasible to highlight that there are concrete social norms or rules in the church, for example, sense of belonging, mutual respect, serenity, peace is important. If the social norms are seriously violated, the administration of the church have an authority to exclude the member from the church in case the violation is evident.
Reflection
Referring to the patterns of the sociological perspective, it is feasible to emphasize the group and hub patterns. Analyzing the activities and processes related to Queens Bible Church, it was possible to detect an essential role of group meetings and group activities in this organization. In terms of immigration and culture trends, a feature of the described neighborhood is the fact that approximately 40% of the population are immigrants or foreign-born people, which directly influences the community (U.S. Census Bureau). The situation with culture is diverse in this scenario since the population is compiled of various ethnicities, races, and cultures, mainly, White and Hispanic. The sociological theoretical approach that was used in this paper was structural functionalism. Functionalism, or structural functionalism, is a theoretical model that views society as a multifaceted network with interdependent components that provide stability and cooperation (Candea 19). This theory was utilized since the church can be analyzed as a socially important part of community that provides cooperation and a sense of stability among the members. Conducting the research, I learned about myself that I can apply sociological study theory to practical examples.
Conclusion
To summarize, the major goal of this research is to do an interpretive qualitative observation research study by choosing and in-depth describing and evaluating a place of worship in Glendale, New York, 11385. In this instance, the Queens Bible Church in Glendale, New York, at 7306 Cooper Avenue, was accepted. It is conceivable to mention the integration of Queens Bible Church into the socioeconomic and communal processes, with a focus on the separation of church and state and associated issues. As a result, given the examination of the church’s community-based efforts, it can be said that because of the participation in public projects, there is no fundamental separation between church and state in this situation. It was feasible to identify the crucial significance that group meetings and group activities play in this organization by analyzing the activities and procedures associated with Queens Bible Church. The interview claims that Queens Bible Church is a well-known and respected Baptist congregation that actively involves neighborhood residents and all believers in its religious activities.
Works Cited
Candea, Matei. Severed Roots: Evolutionism, Diffusionism and Functionalism. Routledge, 2018, pp. 18-59.
Hughes, John Jay. Baptism and Confirmation. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018, pp. 1-262.
Queens Bible Church. “About.” Home, 2022.
U.S. Census Bureau. “American Community Survey (ACS) 5‑year Estimates.” American Community Survey, 2022.