Congregations in Conflict: Cultural Models of Local Religious Life

By Penny Edgell Becker and Penny Edgell

Book Overview

Congregations in Conflict uses the suburbs of Chicago to examine the nature of American congregations as institutions, looking in particular at how they deal with conflict within their ranks, to gain insight into religious culture. In detailed and well documented case studies of conflict in twenty-three congregations including Protestant parishes, Catholic parishes, and Jewish synagogues, Becker examines such factors as organizational processes, the extent and types of ties among church members, their shared understandings about mission and identity, and their level of public commitment. At the local level Becker finds vital public religion: congregations that provide caring and support for members, service to the local community, and important arenas for moral debate and public activism.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521594448
• ISBN13: 9780521594448
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Congregations in Conflict: Cultural Models of Local Religiou

Becker's book is extremely helpful in understanding how congregations work and how different congregation models handle conflict. The first two chapters explain how the author went about conducting her study and her origional theory which changed with the results of her research. The next five chapters were the best as she described the different congregational models she discovered in her study. Each type of congregation views conflict differently and has different ways of addressing conflict. Her writing style is very easy to read and understand. The last two chapters are less useful to the lay leader in the church as Becker addresses her colleagues; defending her study and results. I recomend this book for pastors and lay leaders for understanding their congregations better.