Not All Cathedral Congregations Look Alike: Two Case Studies in Rural England

Abstract

Cathedral congregations seem to be growing at a time when many parish churches are still experiencing decline. In order to discover more about those who attend cathedral services, the congregations were invited to complete a questionnaire during the main Sunday morning service in two cathedrals situated in medieval English cities within accessible distance from largely rural environments. The survey explored two main themes: reasons for choosing to attend the cathedral; and the contribution of the cathedral toward developing social capital, and spiritual capital in various forms. Data, provided by 124 people in one cathedral and by 199 people in the other cathedral, demonstrated considerable variation in the motivations and outlook of the two congregations. Different cathedrals may be serving their congregations and their local areas in different ways.

From Action Learning to Bonding Social Capital? The Potential of Action Learning Sets Among Isolated Rural Clergy

“…The academic literature on rural ministry yields studies of social capital generation in rural churches (Ineson & Burton, 2005) and rural cathedrals (Francis & Williams, 2010, of the interchange of social capital between parish church and village community (Olney & Burton, 2011) and of how social capital is at work through a rural ministry of hospitality (Peddle & Peters, 2013), yet no accounts of the generation of potent social capital among rural clergy themselves.…”