This book demystifies designing and conducting qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research with scientific rigor. Social Research Methods, benefits researchers from theology and religious studies in designing interdisciplinary research and interacting with social sciences and other disciplines to study contextually relevant issues by focusing on lived religion, lived theology, lived experience, and real-world problems. 

Why Read this Book?

• Instills confidence in researchers to design and conduct qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research with scientific rigor. 
• The first of its kind to introduce qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods strategies with guidance for choosing a topic and collecting and analyzing data for theology and religious research.
• Up to date and authoritative by arraying current and leading methodology texts with examples for researching lived experiences, lived religion, and lived theology.
• A step-by-step guide for writing every section of a research proposal and for writing each chapter for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods dissertation/thesis, which will make the research journey pleasant for students.
• Provides tips for writing DMin dissertation and journal article. 
• Offers guidelines for supervisors and examiners for assisting and assessing student projects.
• Review Questions and Further Help at the end of each chapter; Glossary and Index, which are among other helpful resources for researchers.
• An invaluable resource for students and professors from social sciences, education, development, management, and the humanities, besides theology and religious studies.
• A practical guide for researchers from churches, religious bodies, NGOs, and others.

“This volume fills an important gap in the field by bringing social scientific methods into theology and religious studies. All parties in this conversation have much to gain from a sustained dialogue, and this book moves us in that direction.”

JOHN BARTKOWSKI, Professor – Sociology, University of Texas at San Antonio

“This is a valuable resource written in a way that theological students will understand, and supervisors will appreciate! It takes the student “by the hand” from the formulation of the research topic through methodological positioning and choices and closes with a chapter on supervision expectations. I look forward to prescribing it to my own postgraduate students.”

NADINE BOWERS DU TOIT, Professor – Theology and Development, University of Stellenbosch, editor of Race, Faith and Inequality amongst Young Adults in South Africa

“The highly readable, yet exhaustive and authoritative text covers all aspects of the variety of methods available to contemporary scientists who either produce or evaluate empirical research. The text is intended for students and scholars of theology and religious studies, but anyone interested in how religion is practiced in different cultural contexts and want to understand individual lived experiences and interpretations will find this text an invaluable guide.”

RALPH W. HOOD Jr., Professor of Psychology, University of Tennessee, co-editor of Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion series.

“Compared to other approaches to theology and religious studies, missiology has the propensity to use social science methods. This clearly written introduction to complex terrain will enable students to navigate it and develop tools for their own project, and students are more likely to recognize their research interests in its examples. Especially useful features include the glossary and the section on student supervisors/mentors and examiners. This volume is authoritative and cognisant of other leading texts.”

KIRSTEEN KIM, Pierson Professor of World Christianity, Fuller Theological Seminary, co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies.

It is very good to see the use of social science methods being developed to aid religious studies and theological research. My hope is that this very practical book, using such up-to-date resources as Alan Bryman’s Social Research Methods (OUP) now in its fifth edition, will help to develop this important form of study further.

ROBIN GILL, Emeritus Professor of Applied Theology, University of Kent, author of the trilogy on Sociological Theology

“Upon launching out on research, students and scholars are always on the lookout for good books on research methodology. In Dr Iyadurai’s book, they will find an excellent manual spanning the length and breadth of what they are looking for. I strongly recommend this book to all those engaged in research.” 

FRANCIS GONSALVES SJ, President, Jnana Deepa: Pontifical Athenaeum of Philosophy & Theology, author of God of Our Soil: Towards Subaltern Trinitarian Theology

Joshua Iyadurai has been teaching research methods to PhD students in Christian Studies for over a decade. He is an expert facilitator in this hybrid field, helping both theology and religious studies students use social research methods more rigorously and effectively. This book will be immensely helpful to anyone wanting to do research in the field of religion, as well as to those in classes focused on research methods. I highly recommend it.

ROBERT K. JOHNSTON, Professor of Theology and Culture, Fuller Theological Seminary, co-author of Deep Focus: Film and Theology in Dialogue

“Social Research Methods for Students and Scholars of Theology and Religious Studies is a masterpiece that draws from Joshua’s experience of teaching social research for two decades. The book aims to catalyze theological scholarship using social research methods with scientific precision. Scholars, educators, and graduate students will find this text a welcome resource. I highly recommend it!”

DAVID TARUS, Executive Director, Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA), author of A Different Way of Being

“This textbook fills an important niche for postgraduate researchers embarking on empirical research in Practical Theology or Religious Studies. Those who have little or no background in the social sciences will find this a clear and well-structured introduction on how to conceive a research project and what methods are available to answer their research questions. Reading this before they embark on their journey could save a lot of problems further down the road.” 

ANDREW VILLAGE, Professor of Practical and Empirical Theology, York St John University, author of The Church of England in the First Decade of the 21st Century

“Here is a fascinating and engaging handbook every researcher in theology and religious studies should read and assimilate. It fulfils a felt need by pooling the wealth of sociological methodologies and applying them to the scientific study of lived religion. The author has done a unique service, and his work will remain a point of reference for years.”

FELIX WILFRED, Founder and Director of Asian Centre for Cross Cultural Studies, Chennai, Editor of The Oxford Handbook of Christianity in Asia