Sunday sesh at the Church anyone? Wine is on the house?

Power, as I understand it, is a relational effect of social interaction (Allen, 2003). People are placed by power, but they experience it at first hand through the rhythms and relationships of particular places... (Allen, 2003).

A Church wedding with people gathering in a joy celebration www.wedding-photographer-imag1ne.com

Church is an example social network which is empowering. The main purpose of this network is sharing a mutual belief in Christianity. Although, the Church is more than just a space of worship; it is a powerful place - an important social hub in which people connect to create links to others in their faith community.

The type of power which is observable in the Church is charismatic, which is the power legitimized by extraordinary personal abilities that inspire devotion and/or obedience (Kuttainen,2016). Sounds daunting , however, it is a positive power, it is an associational, where power acts more like a collective medium enabling things to get done or facilitate some common aim (Allen, 2003). The power helps to build communal identity, tradition and value of the faith to make unity within the group. 

Powers in social networks are a connection out of relationships (Kuttainen, 2016). Power is not something that is simply extended over short or long distances, or something which radiates out from an identifiable central point, or something which engulfs places in ways that are all pervasive (Allen, 2003). In Yuan’s (2001) article she describes space as just a geographic location, whereas place is an area that is inherited, something that offers security and has value. People in this network use Church as a strong connector for building security and relationships with others – used a medium to socialise. In KFAI audio recording, it expands on real people stories of how the Church is a main hub, to connect to others. This shows how Church creates gatherings  in socialising settings through dinners, singing and community events.

To conclude, I believe that Church is an empowering social network, that works associational helping to bring people together through mediums. 


Reference
Allen, J. (2003). ‘Introduction: Lost Geographies’. In Lost Geographies of Power.

Kuttainen, Victoria. (2016). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, Lecture 2: Power. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au

KFAI. (2012). Walker Church: a gathering place for worship, community and social justice. Retrieved August 9, 2016, from PRX: https://beta.prx.org/stories/86909

Tuan, Y-F. (1977). ‘Introduction’. In Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience.