Research On Religion » Church Organization

James Hudnut-Beumler on the History of Church Financing in the US

tonygill — Sun, 01 Oct 2017 08:00:39 +0000

While congregations may pray for manna from heaven, financing a religious institution often relies upon hard work, creativity, and direct appeals to parishioners to contribute to the provision of the clergy and the buildings. Prof. James Hudnut-Beumler, the Anne Potter Wilson Distinguished Professor of Religious History at Vanderbilt University, discusses his historical studies of how American Protestant churches changed their funding models over the past two and a half centuries. We begin with a personal story of how Dr. Hudnut-Beumler came to be interested in the economics behind church funding, and he regales us with a story of his chance meeting with Ben Bernake (yet to become chairman of the Federal Reserve). Upon finding out that Jim studied religion, Bernake told him how economics predicts that women would be more religiously active then men. We talk a bit more about the appropriateness of using economics to understand the world of religion, and Jim notes that one of the most important concepts that economics contributes to a humanities-based approach is the notion of value. Indeed, the becomes important later in our interview when we ask Prof. Hudnut-Beumler about his own personal reflections on his research and how it helped him in his religious vocation as a Presbyterian minister. We then work our way through a history of American Protestantism and how funding models have changed over time.

Jim notes that there are three common tensions or ironies that run throughout this history including: clergy who raise money “for God” understand that they are really paying for their own salary; the spiritualization of appeals for financing; and the increasing voluntary nature of church tithing. Jim points out that roughly two-thirds of the cost of running a congregation goes to personnel in the form of salaries and other compensation. During America’s colonial history, much of the needed funding was collected via taxes collected by local governments. This began to change during the First Great Awakening as itinerant ministers and upstart churches would compete with the state-funded churches for members and funds. By the end of the 18th century and into the early 19th century, congregations lost support of state funding and needed to make new appeals to members to voluntarily contribute to churches. We talk a bit about the “pew rent” model and learn, as a fun fact, that the raised boxes of seating in many churches were to house heated bricks to keep the wealthier congregants warmer in the winter. Not only was it valuable to sit up front near the preacher, but that was also where the heating was! Another development in the first half of the 1800s was the rise of the “Benevolence Empire,” wherein colporteurs and other charity entrepreneurs would raise funds for specific causes. Realizing that this was competing with a fixed set of dollars that congregants were giving to religious causes, church congregations also got into this business leading to a dramatic increase in the amount of charitable funding during this era. Another fascinating development, and one which surprised Prof. Hudnut-Beumler, was the emphasis placed on constructing and remodeling church buildings. Whereas we are often treated with iconic photos of churches that exist “as they were in colonial days,” the truth of the matter is that church buildings were constantly undergoing change as individual congregants saw building or remodeling a church as a way to demonstrate devotion to God and to take pride in one’s own congregation.

The next phase of church financing occurred after the Civil War and up to World War I. Here Jim emphasizes a rediscovery of tithing and stewardship, noting how religious rhetoric tended to spiritualize the notion of giving, making it appear as one’s duty to God as compared to the mere need to support the pastor and keep the building looking tidy. Also during this era, clergy began to see themselves as professionals, much the way one would envision a business manager or banker. A number of congregations responded to this by altering how they compensated their clergy, and Jim provides examples of the Presbyterians who insisted upon supporting their ministers and missionaries on a salary that was equivalent to that of a local school superintendent. United Lutherans developed another model of investing in pensions for their clergy so they knew they would be taken care of after their retirement. We then talk about the developments that occur in the latter half of the 20th century and how growing suburbanization led to increased demands for a “seven day church” that was used for athletic and other social activities. Church sizes began to increase as did the spread of non-denominational churches. We then talk about how automated teller machines (ATMs) and the rise of “plastic money” has changed the giving model, with many churches turning to weekly debits from bank accounts as a way to smooth out the annual giving cycle. Jim tells us about how his father, a minister, would be somewhat concerned about family expenses going into the summer as that was the time when contributions were at their lowest. (Tony notes that another guest on the podcast brought up this same issue, Pastor Larry Osborne, who Tony mistakenly refers to as Robert Osborne. Oops.) We conclude our discussion some of Rev. Hudnut-Beumler’s own personal reflections about what he has learned in his studies and how it has affected his ministry. He emphasized the importance of speaking plainly and transparently to congregants about the need for funding. Recorded: September 29, 2017.

In Pursuit of the Almighty’s Dollar: A History of Money and American Protestantism, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

“Why Cash Remains Sacred in American Churches,” by James Hudnut-Beumler (on RealClearReligion).

Looking for God in the Suburbs: The Religion of the American Dream and Its Critics, 1945-1965, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

Generous Saints: Congregations Rethinking Money and Ethics, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

The History of the Riverside Church in the City of New York, by Peter Paris, et al. (including James Hudnut-Beumler).

The Fabric of Faithfulness: Weaving Together Belief and Behavior, by Steven Garber (mentioned in the podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

Larry Osborne on Church Finances and Growth.

John Fea on the American Bible Society.

Michael McConnell on Church Property Disputes.

Phillip Sinitierre on the Osteens and Lakewood Church.

Richard Hammar on Churches, Taxes, Donations, and Liability.

Mike McBride on the Economics of Church Leadership.

Thom Rainer on Baptist Conventions and Church Health.

Jordan Lorence on Religious Property Cases.

Proeschold-Bell and Adams on Clergy Mental Health

tonygill — Sun, 22 May 2016 08:00:53 +0000

Who ministers to the clergy when a pastor needs emotional and spiritual support? While the ministers are often seen as individuals who offer counseling to parishioners, we often forget that members of the cloth are people who also need psychological support. To address this issue, we invite two researchers who have been investigating factors related to both positive and negative mental health outcomes for members of the United Methodist clergy in North Carolina. Dr. Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell (associate research professor of global health at Duke University) is the lead investigator of the Clergy Health Initiative and Dr. Chris Adams (associate professor of psychology at Azusa Pacific Seminary) is a co-researcher on that project and someone who has extensive experience counseling missionaries and seminarians. We begin our back-to-back interviews with Dr. Proeschold-Bell who emphasizes how important it is not only to pay attention to negative mental health outcomes, but also the predictors of positive mental health. Rae Jean discusses the difference between emotions and moods, the particular stressors that clergy find themselves susceptible to, and how having a supportive congregation and network of personal relationships can determine levels of depression or burn-out amongst the clergy. We then talk with Dr. Adams about what he took away from the research and how he has applied it to his role as a counselor to members of the clergy. Chris discusses a number of specific cases where a supportive congregation can make a big difference in the psychological health of a pastor. Recorded: May 11, 2016.

Dr. Chris Adam’s bio at Azusa Pacific University (link undergoing redesign).

Duke Divinity School’s Clergy Health Initiative.

Clergy Health Initiative Summary Report (2014).

“Study Finds Unique Positive Mental Health Factors for Clergy,” DGHI news release.

“The Glory of God Is a Human Being Fully Alive: Predictors of Positive versus Negative Mental Health Among Clergy,” be Proeschold-Bell et al., in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (possible paywall or requires institutional affiliation).

Gregory Popcak on Religion, Psychology, and the Seven Longings.

Rob Moll on Religion and the Brain.

Bradley Wright on SoulPulse.

Justin Barrett on the Naturalness of Religious Belief.

John Fea on the American Bible Society

tonygill — Sun, 08 May 2016 08:00:09 +0000

As The American Bible Society (ABS) celebrates its bicentennial, we are joined by Prof. John Fea — department of history at Messiah College — to review the history of this quintessential American institution. He reveals how he was approached by ABS to help craft a history of this organization, but instead of merely writing a coffee table chronology he sets the ABS into the broader narrative of American history. Prof. Fea emphasizes four ongoing themes in the trajectory of the ABS, including: 1) its ecumenical outreach (first with Protestants and then Catholics after Vatican II); 2) its cultural and religious power position within society; 3) a leader in media innovation; and 4) the institution’s struggle to define itself in changing times. We witness how the ABS moves from its origins as a benevolence society into a service organization dedicated to supporting churches and selling Bibles (not merely donating them), and then to its changing role today as a more missional organization. We cover how the ABS reacted to issues such as slavery, Reconstruction, waves of immigration, and its struggles with Catholicism in the United States. John also reviews the ABS’s role abroad, particularly in the Levant, and how today — with lower cost of Bibles and phone apps leading to a market saturation of the Good Book — the ABS has taken a more evangelical turn in the late 20th and early 21st century. Recorded: April 29, 2016.

RELATED LINKS

John Fea’s bio at Messiah College.

The Way of Improvement Leads Home (John Fea’s blog and website).

The Bible Cause: A History of the American Bible Society, by John Fea.

Why Study History?, by John Fea.

Was American Founded as a Christian Nation?, by John Fea.

The Way of Improvement Leads Home: Philip Vickers Fithian and the Rural Enlightenment in Early America, by John Fea.

The American Bible Society (homepage).

Nida Institute.

RELATED PODCASTS

John Fea on Religion & the American Founding.

Jonathan den Hartog on the Spiritual & Political Life of John Jay.

Jonathan den Hartog on Patriotism & Piety.

Scott Carroll on Biblical Manuscripts and the King James Bible.

Robert Delahunty on Alexis de Tocqueville and Religion.

John Wilsey on American Exceptionalism & Civil Religion.

Barry Hankins on Jesus, Gin, and the Culture Wars.

Mark David Hall on Religious Minorities and the American Founding.

Daniel Dreisbach on Abe Lincoln’s Religious Rhetoric.

Owen Strachan on Chuck Colson.

Andrew Hoffecker on Charles Hodge and the Princeton Theological Seminary.

James Brettell on Trends in American Christianity.

Christopher Hale on Religion & Protest in Mexico

tonygill — Sun, 01 May 2016 08:00:58 +0000

Over the past several decades, political and social protests have erupted across Mexico, though they have tended to be concentrated in some regions more than others. What explains this variation, and more importantly, what role does religion play in fomenting grassroots political activism? Prof. Christopher Hale, assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama, explains that decentralized religious organization plays an important role in providing the means for groups of individuals to voice discontent. Using the case of Mexico, Prof. Hale notes that religiously-motivated political action has been more common in Chiapas than in Yucatan. Chris lays out a theory that rests upon the decentralization of a religious organization and how lay leadership help to solve collective action problems through more effective monitoring and sanctioning of behavior. He ties this together with other factors such as political theology and religious competition. Chris reflects on how this project prompted him to think more about ideology with respect to institutional incentive structures. Throughout the interview, Tony keeps prompting Chris to cite Tony’s early research, and he eventually does. Whew! Recorded: April 26, 2016.

Christopher Hale’s personal webpage.

Institute for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Society at Chapman University (mentioned in podcast).

The Rebel’s Dilemma, by Mark I. Lichbach (mentioned in podcast).

Popular Movements in Autocracies, by Guillermo Trejo (mentioned in podcast).

Rendering unto Caesar, by Anthony Gill ([finally!] mentioned in podcast).

Waffle House (mentioned in podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

Carolyn Warner on Religion and Generosity.

Ruth Melkonian on Latin American Protestants.

Robert Woodberry on Missionaries and Democracy.

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Michael McConnell on Church Property Disputes

tonygill — Sun, 24 Apr 2016 08:00:52 +0000

What happens to church property when a congregation decides to divorce itself from its denomination? Does the real estate and other forms of property remain with the local congregation, or does the denomination have claim over all that stuff? While the answer to those questions might simply be “whoever bought it in the first place,” the reality is rarely so clear-cut and many of these cases end up in state courts. Prof. Michael McConnell — the Richard and Mallery Professor of Law at Stanford University — sets the issue of church property ownership in historical context to help us understand how such cases are resolved today. We journey back to the 19th century when the “English Rule” was often used to settle disputes between local congregations and their larger denominational structures. Such an approach tended to favor larger, more hierarchical denominations over the congregations. However, in the late 1800s, with the Watson v Jones case, jurisprudence on this matter began to change. Prof. McConnell leads us through these changes and up to the Jones v Wolf decision in 1979, laying out the various issues that came under contention along the way. Michael then makes an argument in favor of “strict neutral principles” of resolving property disputes, noting that this mitigates the need for courts to meddle in, or determine, what it proper church doctrine and organization. He contrasts this approach with “hybrid” approaches that oftentimes yield greater uncertainty in ownership and discourage investment. Several examples of actual court cases are referenced throughout the interview. Recorded: April 13, 2016.

Constitutional Law Center at Stanford.

“On Resolving Church Property Disputes,” by Michael McConnell and Luke Goodrich (at SSRN).

Religion and the Law, edited by Michael McConnell, John Garvey, and Thomas Berg.

Christian Perspectives on Legal Thought, edited by Michael McConnell, Robert Cochran, and Angela Carmella.

Watson v Jones (1872), Supreme Court case mentioned in podcast.

Jones v Wolf (1979), Supreme Court case mentioned in podcast.

RELATED PODCASTS

Matthew Franck on Hosanna-Tabor and Ministerial Exemptions.

Jordan Lawrence on Religious Property Cases.

John Inazu on the Four Freedoms, Religious Liberty, and Assembly.

David Cortman on Religious Liberty Updates.

Mike Donnelly on Homeschooling.

Matthew Franck on Hobby Lobby and Religious Freedom Jurisprudence.

Andrew Johnson on Pentecostals in Prison in Brazil

tonygill — Sun, 14 Feb 2016 09:00:37 +0000

How does religion shape and affect the lives of prisoners and other marginalized people in Brazil? Dr. Andrew Johnson, a research associate with the Center for Religion and Civil Culture at the University of Southern California, visits with us and details his amazing study of Pentecostalism in Brazilian prisons, a study that actually had him living as an “inmate” in a Rio de Janeiro prison for several weeks. This study not only became the basis for his dissertation and subsequent publications, but is also part of a documentary film designed to take scholarship to a broader audience.

After a wee bit of banter about Super Bowl 50 and Andrew’s woes about the Minnesota Vikings, Prof. Johnson discusses how he came to study the role of religion in prisons. He recounts his time as a basketball coach for inner city youth and how some of the kids he knew ended up in the penal system. We then spend some time going over the religious landscape of Brazil, his primary country of study. Although the largest Catholic nation on Earth, Brazil has witnessed a significant increase in Protestantism in recent decades with a majority of those Protestants being of the Pentecostal faith. Andrew documents how Pentecostalism is a very appealing faith to individuals within the poor, marginalized neighborhoods of Brazilian cities known as favelas. These are also areas where criminal gangs run the neighborhoods, but interestingly these gangs have a very symbiotic relationship with the Pentecostal churches. It is this interesting relationship that then translates into prison, which is often a concentrated microcosm of life within the favelas.

We then spend a significant amount of time discussing Dr. Johnson’s dissertation project as it represents one of the more intense forms of immersive fieldwork that you would see scholars doing. Andrew actually spent several weeks living within a prison in Rio de Janeiro to develop a greater sense of what the world of prisoners was like. We cover the various difficulties in getting this type of study off the ground, as well as Andrew’s own reflections going into, living within, and then coming out of this very dangerous and difficult environment. Brazilian prisons are very different from those found in the United States, and Dr. Johnson talks about the crowded conditions and how prison guards have little to do with the prisoners in the cell blocks, which means prisoners are creating their own societies within this environment.

Our conversation then turns to how religious faith and organization plays out in prison. We start this conversation with a story about a pastor who was well known for helping to mediate prison riots. Andrew notes that the police and SWAT teams in Brazil are frequently brutal in putting down such riots, often killing dozens or hundreds of prisoners, and how the inmates often see Pentecostal ministers as being a trusted source to bring about negotiated settlements. The government also finds these religious pastors helpful for helping to calm situations down. This leads us to a further discussion of how religion functions within the prison walls, with Andrew pointing out that it is not just visiting pastors and religious volunteers that bring religious services into the jail, but rather it is the prisoners themselves who often establish and run their own ministries. We talk about different roles played out by the inmates, including the position of secretary of the prison church — a person who records the visitors, attendees, and controls the finances. Many of these churches have distinct clothing made for them and purchase musical instruments for worship services. Andrew stresses the role of “authenticity” with respect to these churches. Whereas members of these Pentecostal churches are often a protected group with the prison environment, it must be shown that the members who join are really “living the life” or “walking the talk.” Whereas Dr. Johnson is not in a position to evaluate the true depth of belief of any individual, he does note how this plays out in a broader social context.

We finish the conversation with some observations about Andrew’s use of documentary filmmaking to bring his research to a broader audience. He talks about the process of doing the film and how it creates a different view of his work amongst different audiences. He also shares with us a number of the surprises he found throughout the process of conducting this research. He notes the importance of human dignity and the role that religion plays even amongst the most violent of individuals in society. Recorded: February 7, 2016.

If I Give My Soul, trailer for the documentary film by Andrew Johnson & Ryan Patch.

Religious Responses to Violence: Human Rights in Latin America Past and Present, edited by Alexander Wilde.

Storytellers, Inc., film company run by Ryan Patch (mentioned in podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

Jeff Henig on Prison Ministry.

Byron Johnson on More God, Less Crime.

Byron Johnson on Religion and Delinquency.

Owen Strachan on Chuck Colson.

William Wubbenhorst on SERVE, West Dallas.

Phillip Sinitiere on the Osteens & Lakewood Church

tonygill — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 09:00:04 +0000

Join us on Facebook and/or Twitter for regular updates on upcoming guests.

Since 2000, Pastor Joel Osteen seemingly has become an overnight success on the national evangelical scene. But his rise in popularity, along with that of Lakewood Church, has a deeper history dating back to the ministry of his father, John Osteen. Prof. Phillp L. Sinitiere — an associate professor of history at the College of Biblical Studies (Houston) and a visiting assistant professor at Sam Houston State University — talks about his new book Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, & American Christianity.

As is par for the course, we explore how our guest came to be interested in the topic he studies. Prof. Sinitiere grew up in Houston, which he calls the “buckle of the Bible Belt,” and attended small churches in a mixed-ethnicity neighborhood. Having known about Lakewood Church growing up, he found it to be an interesting topic given his fascination with the history of American Christianity and considering how it dovetailed with his interests in African-American Christianity. His experience studying Lakewood dates back about a decade, and Phillip tells the story of his first visit to the mega-church and how he was immediately approached to sing in the choir. He talks of himself as a “shade tree sociologist” using both archival research and ethnographic fieldwork to paint a vivid picture of the Osteen family and the Lakewood community.

Our conversation turns historically to the story of John Osteen, the founder of Lakewood Church, and his unique personal journey to the pastorate. We learn about John Osteen’s childhood growing up during the Great Depression, his evangelical conversion to Christ as a teen, and his Southern Baptist charismatic roots. After attending John Brown University, he then followed his spiritual development through the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and spent some time in California during the 1940s before returning to Houston. Phillip notes that the elder Osteen was associated with some of the early attempts at “televangelism” in the 1950s when TV was becoming all the rage. Following a divorce in 1955, another marriage brings him a daughter who has medical problems at a young age but who eventually grew in health. This event had a significant impact on John and he becomes more drawn to the neo-Pentecostal movement bubbling up at the time and develops an interest in divine healing, which plays an important role in his theological development, eventually influencing his son Joel. Prof. Sinitiere then details the institutional founding and growth of Lakewood Church. Interestingly, shortly after Lakewood’s founding in 1959, John heads down to Mexico to do missionary work but returns home in the late 1960s. This gap in the senior Osteen’s ministry proves critical for Lakewood’s eventual multi-racial appeal as John did not get drawn into the divisiveness of the Civil Rights Movement in the South during the 1960s.

We follow Lakewood Church’s history through the 1970s and into the ’80s when Joel enters the picture and begins working in the television aspect of his father’s ministry in the early 1980s. By this time, Lakewood could be considered a mega-church by scholarly standards (more than 2,000 members) and Joel is learning how to manage such a large congregation as it grows extensively during this time. We also talk a bit about the transition of the pastorate to Joel in 1999. Shortly after taking the helm, Joel moves Lakewood from northeast Houston and to Greenway Plaza and the Compaq Center, giving the church new visibility along a major highway. Combined with the use of social media and an expanding televangelism ministry, Lakewood witnesses unprecedented growth making it the largest congregation in America.

Our discussion then picks up on theological themes and Prof. Sinitiere explains the “prosperity gospel” that Joel Osteen (and his father before him) were known for. Phillip traces the roots back to 19th century “New Thought” and the neo-Pentecostal movement of the 20th century. While there is much emphasis on material advancement within prosperity gospel thinking, Phillip points out that a major part of John Osteen’s theology also revolved around divine healing, which was influenced both by his daughter’s recovery from muscular disease and his second wife’s overcoming cancer. We then examine the development of Joel’s theological perspective and the influences that Joyce Meyer and John Maxwell played. Joel’s thinking emerges in the first few years of his taking the helm at Lakewood, and in addition to the material aspects of his theology that his critics are quick to point out, Prof. Sinitiere notes that there is a great deal of emphasis on healthy living, psychological wholeness, and positive thinking, which was an influence from his father. The picture that is painted by Phillip is more nuanced than of Osteen’s critics. While not an apologist for the prosperity gospel, Prof. Sinitiere puts it into a much broader context based upon his own research of the topic.

We finish our discussion with an examination of how Lakewood’s congregants have taken to this prosperity gospel message, and what impact the Osteens have had on American Christianity. Phillip notes that many individuals who attend Lakewood see it as a means of finding a “second chance” in life, and that several of these individuals eventually go in search of deeper Christianity elsewhere. Amongst these individuals, there is an image of Lakewood being a “seasonal Christianity” from whence they move into other phases of their spiritual development. Phillip also points out that Lakewood’s congregation is multi-racial although the leadership has tended to be Caucasian, but notes that there have been efforts to address this in recent years. As for Lakewood’s impact, Phillip explains how the Osteens have “re-enchanted” American televangelism and how the message of predictability in unstable times seems to resonate during times of economic turmoil. He also observes that many of Osteen’s Calvinist critics indicates the broader influence Osteen is having on the discussion of Christianity in America. Recorded: Jan. 21, 2016.

Phillip Sinitiere’s personal website.

Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, and American Christianity, by Phillip Sinitiere.

Holy Mavericks: Evangelical Innovators and the Spiritual Marketplace, by Shayne Lee and Phillip Sinitiere.

Christians and the Color Line: Religion & Race after Divided by Faith, by Russell Hawkins and Phillip Sinitiere.

Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel, by Kate Bowler (mentioned on the podcast).

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Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths.

Marc von der Ruhr on Megachurch Recruitment and Retention.

Gordon Melton on Mega-Trends in American Religion.

Matt Sutton on Aimee Semple McPherson.

Darin Mather on Evangelicals and Racial Attitudes.

Sarah Bond on the Church & Funerals in Late Antiquity (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 15:32:48 +0000

(The following is an encore presentation of an earlier podcast. The RoR staff is taking a short break and we will be back shortly with more crescent fresh episodes!)

It has been said that the only thing certain in life are death and taxes. If that is the case, then Dr. Sarah Bond — assistant professor of history at Marquette University — has discovered a very interesting topic for research. Prof. Bond examines the changes to the funeral industry that occured in the Late Antiquity portion of the Roman Empire resulting from Constantine’s Edict of Milan. Through the course of this interview, we find out that workers in the “death industry” received some pretty sweet tax exemptions for their service. And this wasn’t the only noteworthy item about the lives of what Sarah refers to as “disreputable workers.”

We begin with a discussion of Sarah’s general work on “disreputable professions” in ancient times, and she defines what this term means — careers in occupations that most people find distasteful and whose workers tend to remain “invisible,” yet critically important, to society. Funeral workers are the classic example of such a profession given that their contact with the deceased (who often die in violent or vile ways) conveys a sense of “death pollution” on them. Sarah notes that in pagan times, funeral workers were required to live outside of the city walls and would only be allowed into the city under the cover of dark to retrieve bodies. We discuss several of the other traditions associated with death at the time, including the preference for cremation over inhumation (i.e., burial).

With the rise of Emperor Constantine (and his co-Emperor Licinius in the East), things begin to change. The Edict of Milan puts Christianity on an equal footing as pagan religions, and soon thereafter the Church begins to see a flood of state financial support. Being a bishop now conveys more political and economic power in the Empire, and with it come changes in how the funeral industry operates. Sarah discusses how stronger patron-client relationships between bishops and funeral workers emerge, and how these funeral workers were often employed as personal “gangs” or “para-militaries” for the Church hierarchs. Some of the stories are incredible! Along the way, we also are given a sense for who is all involved in the funeral process, including paid mourners. Sarah teaches Tony a number of very cool Latin words. Prof. Bond also talks about the Cult of the Saints, and how the desire by wealthy people to be buried near a Christian saint, and the general lack of burial space (a scarce commodity), led to a great deal of corruption. Tony, ever the political economists, points out that this is an excellent example of rent-seeking behavior wherein a small group with coercive power controls access to a scarce resource and can extract all sorts of additional income and favors in exchange for that access.

Dr. Bond concludes our podcast with her reflections on what the study of the death industry and other “disreputable professions” in Late Antiquity can teach us about our current conditions. While the institutions of funeral services have changed over time, she notes that we still have certain cultural visions about people who provide these valuable services to society. Tell your friends about this truly fascinating discussion as it has valuted upwards to become one of Tony’s favorite podcasts over the course of 170 other interviews. Please connect with us via our Facebook Fan Page for regular updates. Recorded: October 3, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Sarah Bond’s webpage at Marquette University.

RELATED PODCASTS

Gary Laderman on Resting in Peace: The Death Industry in American History.

Jim Papandrea on the Church Fathers and Patristic Exegisis.

Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part I.

Brian O’Neel on Saint Who?

Jim McGuffey on Church Security (encore presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 08:00:38 +0000

In the wake of several highly publicized shootings, we look at how safe churches are, and what they can do to improve their safety, with Jim McGuffey, and independent security consultant with A.C.E. Security Consultants LLC and an expert on church security. We start with Jim’s background, both religious and professional, to understand where his insights into this issue come from. Jim spent time in the military, civilian police, and the armored car business before setting out with his own consulting company. He has also been extensively trained in a vareity of security programs with the licensing to prove it. More importantly, Jim spent time in several denominations including a stint as a church elder. He credits the latter experience with his ability to understand the specific difficulties with trying to protect churches from falling prey to a variety of illicit behavior, including both bodily and property crimes. He explains how he came to specialize in church security, a service he provides to various religious groups free of charge.

We then dive into a discussion about the biggest threats to churches. Jim explains that the number one problem is that churches do not think much about security, highlighting the figure that only about 15 – 20% of churches have security programs in place. Tony brings up the issue of how congregants might react to a visible security program by speculating that this might either ease the fears of parishioners or, paradoxically, make them more concerned about potential threats. After all, if there is an armed security guard patrolling the church grounds, it is only natural to assume that there must be some problem there. Jim agrees that this latter response is something that concerns pastors and elders. If they do create a highly visible security presence with cameras and guards, this may make the church appear less welcoming and scare away members. Overcoming this mentality is often one of Jim’s greatest challenges.

He also notes that church staff often only start thinking about security after a well-publicized shooting and they tend to overlook more common incidents such as burglary, theft, or vandalism. Indeed, given that physical violence is often rare yet what we focus on, churches typically find themselves more vulnerable to “mundane crimes” such as embezzlement because they don’t give much thought to these things.

Jim then walks us through a typical church security assessment that he would conduct for a house of worship. While not in any means comprehensive, this portion of the interview might be very valuable for clergy or congregants if for no other reason than simply to make them aware of some common sense things they can be alerted to. Although a regular security may sound like “overkill” for a church, Jim points out that one of the main impacts of crime on a church is to tarnish its reputation, especially with incidents that are committed by internal members of the church community. Tony asks if there are certain types of vulnerabilities that church face relative to private businesses or residences and Jim reviews a number of these. One of the more interesting things that churches often neglect is a process of background checks on volunteers; paid staff are often vetted, but volunteers — often the main source of help for many congregations — are often assumed to have pure motives and hence don’t need to have their backgrounds or intentions examined.

Please note that during our discussion of conducting background interviews for volunteers, Mr. McGuffey’s phone failed thus we have a brief interruption in the flow of the conversation. Despite these technical problems we finish strong by talking about how Jim generates interest in his services, noting that what he offers is not simply a service for Christians, but is available for congregants of all faith. Recorded: January 9, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

A.C.E. Security Consultants, LLC, Jim McGuffey’s company.

Security for Houses of Worship, an informational website for church security created and hosted by Jim McGuffey.

Carl Chin’s Church Security website, mentioned in the podcast (includes data about the incidence of crime in churches).

ASIS International.

RELATED PODCASTS

Byron Johnson on More God, Less Crime.

Warren Bird on Church Leadership Teams

tonygill — Sun, 17 May 2015 08:00:41 +0000

What makes for successful church team leadership? Dr. Warren Bird of the Leadership Network, and a frequent listener to Research on Religion, discusses his new study (with Ryan Hartwig) on team leadership within Protestant denominations. The study is based upon a survey of over 1,000 church leaders encompassing roughly 250 churches in a variety of locales.

Before we dive into Hartwig and Bird’s book, Teams that Thrive, we discuss a recent report issued by the Pew Research Center claiming a significant drop in Christian affiliation in the United States over the past several years. While noting that some millennials are attending church less, we dig a bit deeper into the data to see that most of the losses are coming from mainline denominations, whereas evangelicals are holding their own or gaining slightly. Warren offers some of his observations on this topic, including his thoughts on churches that try to adapt to a changing culture.

We turn next to the issue of team leadership and Dr. Bird notes the growing importance of groups in managing churches of all size, though as the number of attenders increases for any given congregation the use of teams in managing the church also grows. Warren defines what a “team” is and reviews some of the ways in which they are used. We review the methodology of the study he and Ryan Hartwig conducted, talking about the sample and some of the questions that were used. They based their study off of Harvard’s Team Diagnostic Survey, which is used frequently to analyze businesses, and modified it in a second round to be more applicable to faith organizations. Warren points out that they also did several site visits to churches within their sample for direct observations.

The discussion then focuses on a number of the findings from the study. There are five key disciplines that they identified that work enhance team leadership: 1) a focus on purpose; 2) inspiration favored over control; 3) leveraging the different skills of team members; 4) having a structured decision-making process; and 5) a process of regular and continuous collaboration. He illustrates these features with Faith Promise, a large multi-site church in Tennessee. Our discussion closes out with some general thoughts on how a focus on congregational leadership can help churches adapt to a changing religious environment, wrapping around to our discussion at the outset of the podcast. Recorded: May 15, 2015.

RELATED LINKS

Warren Bird’s personal website (with links to books and other material).

The Leadership Network.

Teams that Thrive: Five Disciplines of Collaborative Church Leadership, by Ryan T. Hartwig and Warren Bird.

Next: Pastoral Succession that Works, by William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird (featured on RoR — see below).

The Emotionally Healthy Church: A Strategy for Discipleship that Actually Changes Lives, by Peter Scazzero and Warren Bird.

The Other 80 Percent: Turning Your Church’s Spectators into Active Participants, by Scott Thumma and Warren Bird.

Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers. by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird.

See Warren Bird’s Amazon page for additional works written by him.

The Pew Research Center Study on America’s Changing Religious Landscape.

Baylor ISR’s Symposium on the End of Religion.

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