Congregations in Conflict: Cultural Models of Local Religious Life

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
CONTENTS......Page 9
TABLES......Page 11
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 13
1 “WHO WE ARE” AND “HOW WE DO THINGS HERE”: LOCAL UNDERSTANDINGS OF MISSION AND IDENTITY......Page 15
From Conflict to Local Culture......Page 17
Local Culture Through an Institutional Lens......Page 22
House of Worship, Family, Community, Leader......Page 26
The Significance of Congregational Models......Page 31
Notes......Page 34
2 THE CONGREGATIONS OF OAK PARK, RIVER FOREST, AND FOREST PARK......Page 40
Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park......Page 41
Choices......Page 47
Conflict......Page 49
Looking for New Explanations......Page 55
Notes......Page 63
3 HOUSES OF WORSHIP......Page 67
Who We Are......Page 69
How We Do Things Here......Page 75
Conflict in Houses of Worship......Page 83
Maintaining a House of Worship......Page 86
Notes......Page 89
4 FAMILY CONGREGATIONS......Page 91
Who We Are......Page 93
How We Do Things Here......Page 99
Patterns of Conflict......Page 104
Conflict and Culture......Page 107
Implications of the Family Model......Page 109
Notes......Page 113
5 COMMUNITY CONGREGATIONS......Page 115
Who We Are......Page 117
How We Do Things Here......Page 124
Patterns of Conflict......Page 131
The Community Congregation......Page 136
Notes......Page 138
6 LEADER CONGREGATIONS......Page 140
Who We Are......Page 144
How We Do Things Here......Page 151
Patterns of Conflict......Page 154
Implications of the Leader Model......Page 159
First Unitarian Church......Page 163
Congregations in Transition......Page 171
Identity Conflict in Mixed Congregations......Page 177
Public or Private Religion?......Page 180
Congregational Transition over Time......Page 181
Notes......Page 184
8 AN INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH TO LOCAL CULTURE......Page 186
Conflict......Page 188
Understanding Congregational Models......Page 194
Institutional Forms of Religious Community......Page 208
A Comparative Institutional Approach to the Study of Local Culture......Page 212
Notes......Page 217
Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park......Page 220
Individual-Expressive Religion......Page 225
Rethinking Restructuring......Page 233
The Field of American Congregational Religion......Page 237
Notes......Page 246
Access – Interviewing and Participant Observation......Page 251
Choosing the Congregations......Page 253
Cell 1: Small, Liberal, Congregational Polity......Page 255
Cell 2: Large, Liberal, Congregational......Page 256
Cell 3: Small, Liberal, Hierarchical Polity......Page 257
Cell 5: Small, Conservative, Congregational Polity......Page 258
Cell 7: Small, Conservative, Hierarchical Polity......Page 260
Cell 8: Large, Conservative, Hierarchical Polity......Page 261
A. Background of the Member......Page 263
C. Conflict......Page 264
REFERENCES......Page 266
INDEX......Page 279