Organizing God's Work

This book provides an organizational perspective on the local congregations of Christian and Jewish churches and synagogues. It will meet the need of those who work in congregations—clergy and lay people alike—for an accessible, non-judgmental analysis of the day-to-day work challenges they face. It will also fill a gap in the literature of four academic fields: social policy and administration; non-profit and voluntary-sector management; the sociology of religion; and organizational behavior.

This book provides an organizational perspective on the local congregations of Christian and Jewish churches and synagogues. It will meet the need of those who work in congregations--clergy and lay people alike--for an accessible, non-judgmental analysis of the day-to-day work challenges they face. It will also fill a gap in the literature of four academic fields: social policy and administration; non-profit and voluntary-sector management; the sociology of religion; and organizational behavior.

Booknews

Provides a new perspective on the local congregations of churches and synagogues. It looks at them as organizations and shows how, irrespective of denomination and religion, congregations face a number of similar issues in our rapidly changing religious and public-policy climate, i.e. setting goals and priorities, motivating volunteers, facilitating organizational change, maintaining authenticity, the role of women, and the relationships between lay people and clergy. It also reveals the important contributions that contemporary congregations make to social welfare and to the maintenance of civil society. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Margaret Harris is Assistant Director at the Center for Voluntary Organization in the London School of Economics.