Are you a leader of a congregation or faith community? Is your congregation struggling to overcome conflict? Are you attempting to reach out to a new population in your community and don’t know where to start? Do you want to examine the strengths and weaknesses of your congregation to look for avenues of growth? Do you want the resources of a congregational consultant but don’t have the money or ability to hire one? Check out our resources!
All people inherently do research — gather information, test it against one’s experience, and then determine how to respond to the information. Studying Congregations provides the tools and resources required to effectively manage and execute a disciplined study, where evidence is collected carefully and analyzed completely.
You may want to start by figuring out what questions to ask about your problem. If you already know your question, the next step is to determine which how to find an an answer.
Perhaps you’re just interested in working with your congregation to think about itself differently. Check out our frames for studying congregations for ways to examine your congregation in ways you may not have considered before.
We have other resources that you or your communities may be interested in, including:
- Ask the Expert – blog posts from experts in congregational studies, sociology of religion, and theology on a variety of topics like church size or multiculturalism.
- Reading Guide for Social Science Papers – Do you get bogged down in the details of a social science paper and want a faster way to get to the facts? Check out our how-to.
- Pastoral Resources – are you a religious leader who wants funding to put on a project or find financial support for personal or spiritual growth? Check out our list of offers.
- Bibliographic References – do you want to know where to find more information on a variety of topics regarding congregations and social life, but don’t know where to start? Check out expansive bibliographies on selected topics!
- Blog, Facebook, and Twitter – Want to stay up to date with new research, examples, and case studies in the areas of congregational life and congregational studies? Follow us!