Transforming Traditions with the Protestantse Kerk in Nederland

Abstract

The Protestantse Kerk in Nederland (PKN) is facing a challenge due to a decline in membership, with more people in the Netherlands not believing in God than those who do. This decrease affects the PKN, losing 3% of its 1.6 million members annually, especially among the younger generation. My research aims to explore how the PKN can adapt to the needs of young religious wanderers and its existing members. This perspective comes from a designer's viewpoint, which is relatively unexplored in church reorganization compared to theological approaches.

To reimagine church organization, I adopted a methodological approach combining Value-Sensitive Design (VSD) and Research through Design (RtD). VSD focuses on incorporating human values into design, while RtD uses design as a research tool. The research comprised three cycles. In the first cycle, I assessed the current state of the church and tested research methods, finding that sketches by interviewees were effective in exploring values and ideas. The second cycle involved collaboration with experts working with youth and church innovations. We prototyped through sketches, revealing a value tension between individual needs and the desire for community among young people. This led to the design of an infrastructure that facilitates the exploration of various religious communities, symbolized as a "community garden." The final cycle centered on engaging with religious wanderers at the Graceland Festival. Discussions using a toolkit revealed that each wanderer seeks something unique in a community. They appreciated the idea of exploring different "gardens."

The result of this research is a roadmap for building an exploration infrastructure, emphasizing the importance of relationships between organizations, trust-building, and value exploration for religious wanderers. This roadmap serves as a guide for city-based religious communities, encouraging them to establish similar infrastructures. This research contributes in two ways: first, by offering a design-based solution to reorganize the church to meet the values of its members and religious wanderers. It highlights the need for networked relationships between various organizations, though the practical implications may vary by location. Secondly, it demonstrates how design principles aid in the redesign of church organizations. The use of sketches, design materials, and toolkits facilitated the exploration of complex ideas, making participants consider their values more explicitly. Visual design allowed for better feedback on concepts.

In conclusion, this research project underscores the potential for designers to play a pivotal role in church innovation. Collaboration between designers and theologians can further the cause of church renewal on a systemic level, utilizing expertise from diverse scientific fields.