Subproject 4 focuses on the question of what role the church and social welfare organizations play in civil society and the provision of public services in rural regions. Civil society refers to the social sphere that lies between the state, economy, and private life. It includes, among other things, associations, educational institutions, social services, cultural offerings, and forms of volunteer work. Church actors and Christian initiatives are active in many of these areas – from church congregations and church building associations to daycare centers and schools, nursing homes, counseling centers, and cultural initiatives.

This project aims to understand how the interplay between church and civil society practices takes shape. A special interest lies on the unique conditions that rural areas as well as areas in eastern Germany – shaped by the forced secularization of the GDR – present for church practices. The project therefore examines how church and civil society infrastructures have responded to social upheavals, population decline, changing financial conditions, and shifts in public services since 1989 – and how they are currently coping with these challenges.

Methodologically, the project combines quantitative and qualitative approaches. First, statistical data on the development of church and civil society structures since 1989 will be analyzed. Building on this, interviews are planned with pastors, social welfare workers, volunteers, and representatives from politics, government, and other civil society organizations. Particular attention will be paid to local “social spaces”, a term coined by Claudia Neu and others. These spaces can facilitate encounters and foster social cohesion. Simultaneously, they themselves are affected by demographic, economic, and institutional changes. For this reason, the interviews will be supplemented by ethnographic field research at selected social spaces. Through participant observation, the study will examine how people use, shape, and maintain these spaces in their daily lives. This way, the picture of local practices, relationships, and special conditions will be as multifaceted as possible. The various data sets will be analyzed comparatively and synthesized into an empirically grounded theory of adaptation processes within the church and civil society.

The project continues the tradition of practical-theological research on rural areas in Greifswald. At the same time, it contributes to the public discourse on equitable living conditions, civic cohesion, and the future of public services in rural and peripheral regions.