A Public Policy Perspective on Congregations

Abstract

This book has focused on congregations and on their work and organization specifically. The previous chapter of this closing Part drew together the findings from empirical studies of individual congregations and proposed a theory of congregational organization. This final chapter steps back from the close-up focus on congregations in order to see them in their organizational context and to make some contributions to current policy debates. First, the many and complex ways in which the case congregations were found to be embedded into their organizational environments is discussed. Then the contribution that religious congregations are making, and can make, to the ‘mixed economy of care’ and to ‘civil society’ is considered. The chapter closes with some thoughts about future directions for the study of religious congregations.