Live the Vision church culture: an ethnographic case study and theological inquiry

This thesis is about congregational cultures of money and their impact on religious giving, focusing specifically on Live the Vision church culture (LTVCC) as an ideal type of church culture related to financial giving. LTVCC has been identified by sociologists as a promising approach to address the problem of the decline in giving among American Christians and its underlying problem—a separation of faith and practice in the area of money. Two hallmarks of LTVCC are its appeals for congregants to give to accomplish an outward-focused mission and its primary emphasis on strengthening members’ spiritual lives, but a deeper understanding of the social forces through which LTVCC works, and how LTVCC exerts its influence, are needed. This case study contributes the desired knowledge through an in-depth, ethnographic investigation of a single Southern, evangelical church with strong LTVCC characteristics. The thesis describes what LTVCC can look like in a congregation through an exploration of its leadership, discourse, and practices. Insights from this exploration also contribute to a more exact definition of LTVCC and demonstrate the potential for LTVCC to positively influence church-wide giving. This thesis also employs biblical theology, which validates LTVCC as scripturally sound, to provide insights that affirm and amplify sociological findings, and to suggest possible additions to LTVCC for churches. Finally, this thesis identifies several factors that help explain LTVCC’s influence, including its engagement with the whole person (i.e., mind, body, and emotion), leading to a theory of sacred connection. This theory partially explains LTVCC’s influence among some congregants and suggests a spiritual function of giving beyond functions associated with recognized rational choice and altruism theories – sacred connection and communion with God.