A Field Guide to U.s. Congregations: Who's Going Where and Why [Paperback]

Cynthia Woolever (Author), Deborah Bruce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2010

In 2001 the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) conducted the U.S. Congregational Life Survey. More than 1.2 million worshipers and 12,000 congregations across three continents were surveyed to provide a portrait of congregational life. The findings were published in the first edition of A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations.

With the completion of the 2008 survey comes an expanded edition of this invaluable reference with new findings; updated statistics, tables, and cartoons; a new chapter describing changes in congregational life; and chapter summaries focusing on the implications of the 2008 survey.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an easily read book, one that is filled with statistics and interpretations of data, but there are also charts and even cartoons. Taken together this book gives us a sense of what is happening in the church today, and therefore, Woolever and Bruce have done an excellent job providing us with a field guide that church people, including its leaders, will find useful."--Robert D. Cornwall, Sharing the Practice, Vol. 33/2, Summer 2010, p. 20

About the Author

Cynthia Woolever is Professor of Sociology of Religious Organizations at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut. As a sociologist and consultant, she has over twenty years of experience working with congregations, judicatories, and seminaries. She is coauthor of A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations and Beyond the Ordinary: 10 Strengths of U.S. Congregations, both published by WJK.

Deborah Bruce is Associate Research Manager in the Research Services office of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). She has co-authored articles published in Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion and the Journal of Beliefs and Values.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press; 2 edition (March 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 066423514X
• ISBN-13: 978-0664235147
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #474,250 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Worships Where -- and Why?, September 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations: Who's Going Where and Why (Paperback)

Do 300,000 people have anything to say about the American religious landscape? Of course they do. But that's not surprising, since Americans are rarely hesitant about sharing their opinion. And this book shares what they have to say. In this case these are helpful opinions. That's because what they said was as part of the U.S. Congregational Life Survey.
In April 2001, worshipers in more than 2,000 congregations in the United States completed a survey during worship services.
A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations looks at the total results of the survey, concentrating especially on four areas: spirituality and faith, activities in the congregation, community involvement, and worshipers' vision for the congregation's future.

Many of the results are striking.

Woolever and Bruce have written their book so that it's a tool to help congregations examine their vitality so they can renew and enrich their mission. A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations helps readers grapple with questions like, "What are the characteristics of satisfying worship?" "How involved are worshipers in their communities?" and "How can congregations both recruit new members and retain existing members?"

A Field Guide... is well written and easy to read. And it features some delightful cartoons illustrating the reality of congregational life (my favorite is about "Isabel" and her "contribution."). The book will have special appeal to people who are interested in what's going on in congregations nationwide, and also could be helpful reading for churches' Outreach committees.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Congregational reference, September 30, 2002

By 

Joe Bell (Gastonia, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations: Who's Going Where and Why (Paperback)

It tells you about the survey- it's good information, but a survey report isn't a great read, you know?