Stephie The-Mertens MSc

Bio

After studying Catholic Theology at Tilburg University and Clinical Psychology at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences (Arlington VA, USA), I am now working on a PhD project regarding the youth ministry of New Ecclesial Movements (NEMs). My research is qualitative-descriptive and my main research question: How do New Ecclesial Movements practice/organize youth ministry and how do the young people who come experience it? To answer this question and its related sub-questions, I am doing three consecutive case studies: the Franciscan Youth Work, the Chemin Neuf Community and the Emmanuel Community.  I focus on each movement's youth ministry organization and content (activities; presence of relational ministry and/or pastoral care; and theological concepts or catechesis) and include viewpoints of organizers as well as young people through in-depth interviewing and participant-observation.

Expertise

Youth Ministry, New Ecclesial Movements, Qualitative Case-Study Research

Recent publications

1. Organisational Strategies to Bridge the Theological Language Gap - Ex…

   The-Mertens, S. (2017). Organisational Strategies to Bridge the Theological Language Gap: Exploring the Youth Ministry Practice of New Ecclesial Movements through Case Study Research. Journal of Youth and Theology, 16(1), 3-24.

2. [Review of the book Eventueel ook met woorden: Bijdragen ter verduide…

   The-Mertens, S. M. M. (2016). [Review of the book Eventueel ook met woorden: Bijdragen ter verduidelijking van 'nieuwe evangelisatie', C. Caspers e.a. (red.), 2014]. Tijdschrift voor Theologie, 56(1), 101-101. https://www.tijdschriftvoortheologie.nl/inhoud/tijdschrift_artikel/TT-56-01-101/Recensie-Eventueel-ook-met-woorden-Bijdragen-ter-verduidelijking-van-nieuwe-evangelisatie

3. [Review of the book Sorting Out Catholicism: A Brief History of the N…

   The-Mertens, S. M. M. (2015). [Review of the book Sorting Out Catholicism: A Brief History of the New Ecclesial Movements, M. Faggioli, 2014]. Tijdschrift voor Theologie, 55(3), 305-306. https://www.tijdschriftvoortheologie.nl/inhoud/tijdschrift_artikel/TT-55-3-305/Recensie-Sorting-Out-Catholicism-A-Brief-History-of-the-New-Ecclesial-Movements