A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations, Second Edition: Who's Going Where and Why

By Deborah Bruce and Cynthia Woolever

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 066423514X
• ISBN13: 9780664235147
• Release Date: March 2010
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Who Worships Where -- and Why?

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.