"Det ska beröra" : En kvalitativ studie om prästers predikoframförande i Svenska kyrkan

Sammanfattning

The sermon is a central part of the church service in the Church of Sweden, where a priest interprets gospel texts or other biblical texts for a congregation. The aim of this essay is to analyze how priests in the Church of Sweden deliver the sermon and how it could be understood from Ervig Goffman’s dramaturgical perspective. The goal is to gain knowledge about how priests' sermons are delivered in practice and the active choices priests make during sermons. To achieve this the following questions were asked: How is the priest's sermon delivered during a church service?How does the priests reflect on their way of planning and delivering the sermon?How can the priest's way of planning and delivering the sermon be understood from Goffman's dramaturgical perspective? Participant observations of four priests’ sermons and semi-structured interviews with the same priests were used to gather empirical data, which was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The theory was Goffman's dramaturgical perspective, which views social interaction as a form of theatrical performance in which individuals present themselves in specific ways to influence how they are perceived by others. The conclusions show that preaching was delivered in a structured, restrained, and communicative manner, with limited body movements, eye contact, and clear and calm speech. Priests make active choices during the sermon depending on how they judge that the sermon can be delivered in a better way to the congregation present, which includes emphasizing words, adding bodily movement, or shortening the words of the sermon script. The priests use a script that they prepare well in advance of the sermon. The conclusion is also that priests reflect on their preaching, including planning, adaptation and evaluation of the performance. The priest's way of planning and delivering the sermon can be interpreted as a dramaturgical performance, where several different elements interact to create a credible, meaningful and educational impression. The sermon is not only about conveying religious content, but also about actively shaping how the message is perceived through language, bodily expression, and adaptation to the situation.