Upheavals in Congregations: The Causes and Outcomes of Splits
In spite of the increased research on congregational conflict, much remains to be learned about the causes, processes, and outcomes of such conflict. In the research reported here, the causes and outcomes of congregational conflict were examined in 11 self-governing congregations that had experience...
| Authors: | ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer
1996
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| In: |
Review of religious research
Year: 1996, Volume: 38, Issue: 2, Pages: 159-174 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | In spite of the increased research on congregational conflict, much remains to be learned about the causes, processes, and outcomes of such conflict. In the research reported here, the causes and outcomes of congregational conflict were examined in 11 self-governing congregations that had experienced such an intense conflict that some members from each congregation had left the parent and formed a new breakaway congregation. Thus, 22 congregations now exist where only 11 existed before. Data showed that governance and doctrinal issues were the primary reasons for congregations to split apart. Members who remained at the parent congregation were more likely to perceive the conflict as authority-based, while those who left to form the breakaway were more likely to perceive the conflict as doctrinally-based. In the period immediately following the split, the parent congregations continued to experience some difficulties, but the breakaways prospered. Over time, however, the performance of parent and breakaway congregations converged. Implications for future research and for congregational growth and performance are analyzed. |
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| ISSN: | 2211-4866 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Review of religious research
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3512339 |