CONGREGATIONAL STUDIES INSTITUTE

"I believe the Congregational Studies Institute provides a rare opportunity for clergy, judicatory staff and others interested in working with congregations to learn new ways of understanding what is really going on at the local level."

James Wind, Executive director of The Alban Institute, Washington, D.C.

"I think that to bring critical perspective to congregations, appreciating the congregation and its contribution and role in God's work in the world, but also appreciating it critically, that's what we need for the future."

Jackson Carroll, Director "Pulpit and Pew: Research on Pastoral Leadership, Professor Emeritus, Duke Divinity School
 

More than ever before, understanding congregational life is vital to those who care about the future of congregations — clergy, lay leaders, denominational and regional staff, theologians, sociologists, and others.

Join us as Hartford Seminary’s religion research faculty offer a unique educational event combining hands-on exploration in congregations and current research over a concentrated “long weekend.” 

A stimulating mix of teachers and participants from different social, cultural, and religious perspectives will help field groups compare the dynamics of several congregations. Included is participatory study of local congregations and interviews in the congregations’ local communities. Learning and reflection is enriched by the group’s diversity and by conversations based in field encounters, immersion in current research, plenary sessions and web access training.

Every 2 years, the faculty of Hartford Institute for Religion Research hold a week long educational event including reading, lectures, group reflection, and field experience in congregational studies.  The 2004 Hartford Seminary Congregational Studies Institute just ended.  The next one will be held in 2006, but there may be a different kind of Institute held in the summer of 2005.

Generally, these bi-annual conferences sponsored by Hartford Seminary are disciplined immersions which will preview the basic tools for congregational analysis and renewal.  Beginning with readings, plenary sessions, and interviews in local communities, small group field studies are used to examine three significantly different congregations, compare their approaches, and explore options with their leaders. To ensure effective learning, enrollment is limited, and interested persons are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. 


Time and Place
The Congregational Studies Institute are held in late June at Hartford Seminary, 77 Sherman Street, Hartford, Connecticut.  View the 2004 schedule of events

Cost
Tuition cost for this six-day institute (including classes, field trips, materials, and some meals) is generally $775. Three graduate level credits (Ph.D., D.Min. or Masters) are available at an additional cost of $375. Information on housing will be available upon application to the Institute. 

Information on housing (from $30 per night for double occupancy) will be available upon application to the Institute.

You may also visit the Hartford Seminary website for general accommodation information, and a list of places to eat.


 
James R. Nieman
Associate Professor of Homiletics at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, with particular interest in the local theologies of congregations and how these relate to classic marks of catholicity.  Author Local Theologies in American Protestantism and Preaching across Cultures: Exploring Ethnicity, Class, Displacement and Beliefs. (Fortress, 2000)

David A. Roozen
Director, Hartford Institute for  Religion Research; Professor of Religion and Society with a focus on national religious trends and organizational change. Recent books: Rerouting the Protestant Mainstream: Sources of Growth & Opportunities for Change; and The Postwar Generation and Changing the Way Seminaries Teach: Globalization and Theological Education.  

Scott Thumma
Professor of Sociology of Religion and Web and Distance Education, Hartford Institute for  Religion Research, with interests in megachurches, Evangelicalism,  and religion on the Internet. Author, Gay Religion: Continuity and Innovation, "Goliaths in the Midst" in Lutherans Today; The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory (UMI, 1996); "Methods for Congregational Study" in Studying Congregations.

Professor of Sociology of Religious Organizations, Hartford Institute for  Religion Research, with interests in voluntary organizations and urban sociology.  Recent publications include A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations and Beyond the Ordinary: Ten Strengths of U.S. Congregations.

Hartford Seminary's Hartford Institute for  Religion Research is a nationally recognized resource for current research on religious trends, leadership groups, and the life of congregations. Its studies are intended to help religious leaders, denominations and institutions support and transform the context and organizations where God has called them.