About The Team
The Congregational Studies Team was an informal research group that led the way in researching US congregations. Founded in 1982, the team met a few times each year for discussion of common projects and for mutual professional support. The group published three books: Building Effective Ministry (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983), the Handbook for Congregational Studies (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1986) and Studying Congregations: A New Handbook (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998). In addition to being used by students of congregations throughout the US, Studying Congregations has been adapted for use in southern Africa and published in Korean. In addition to team-produced books, team members, in various combinations, have contributed dozens of books and articles that form a central body of research on American congregations. The team’s work was supported by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. and other foundations.