Maureen K. Day – författare

Why do some congregations flourish, while others can barely stay open at all in the face of disaffiliation, aging congregations, financial hardships, and clergy burnout? Grounded in research from 10 Protestant congregations, this open access book explores the characteristics connected to congregational flourishing, and demonstrates how worship, leadership, sermons and difficult conversations all play an important role in fostering a strong congregational identity as well as individual and social prosperity.From leadership styles to congregational conflict to enacting faith in the local community, this book explores many areas of church life to determine what they reveal about and how they contribute to the overall health of the congregation. Surveys, interviews, focus groups and participant observation are utilised in the chapter’s findings. These discussions provide an up-to-date examination of congregational life in the Unites States for scholars of religion as well as a thoughtful roadmap for ministers looking to put their faith community on a stronger path toward congregational vitality.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California.

Offers a big picture analysis of American CatholicismThe Catholic Church is at a crossroads. In the United States alone there are many challenges facing the church that are both internal and external to the institution. With the rise of the growing Gen Z population and the diminishing of the pre-Vatican II generation, gone are the days of a patriarchal, "father knows best" religious obedience. Indeed, as issues of gender, race, reproductive rights, and non-nuclear families have risen in prominence, the Catholic Church has had to adapt to keep pace with the times.The latest in a series of important sociological overviews drawing on nation-wide surveys administered every six years, Catholicism at a Crossroads charts this new era of Catholic worship, belonging, and identity in America today. Augmenting the survey data for the first time with over fifty interviews with lay and ordained US Catholic leaders, the book illustrates how the church has adapted to Pope Francis's modern papacy, the rise of religious non-affiliation, and various demographic changes including an increasing Hispanic population. Addressing how the church is responding to recent cultural challenges presented by political polarization, racial unrest, and threats to democracy, Catholicism at a Crossroads offers an up-to-date, nuanced, and definitive portrait of American Catholicism in the twenty-first century while also providing discussions of how the findings may be relevant for the study of American religion more broadly.

Offers a big picture analysis of American CatholicismThe Catholic Church is at a crossroads. In the United States alone there are many challenges facing the church that are both internal and external to the institution. With the rise of the growing Gen Z population and the diminishing of the pre-Vatican II generation, gone are the days of a patriarchal, "father knows best" religious obedience. Indeed, as issues of gender, race, reproductive rights, and non-nuclear families have risen in prominence, the Catholic Church has had to adapt to keep pace with the times.The latest in a series of important sociological overviews drawing on nation-wide surveys administered every six years, Catholicism at a Crossroads charts this new era of Catholic worship, belonging, and identity in America today. Augmenting the survey data for the first time with over fifty interviews with lay and ordained US Catholic leaders, the book illustrates how the church has adapted to Pope Francis's modern papacy, the rise of religious non-affiliation, and various demographic changes including an increasing Hispanic population. Addressing how the church is responding to recent cultural challenges presented by political polarization, racial unrest, and threats to democracy, Catholicism at a Crossroads offers an up-to-date, nuanced, and definitive portrait of American Catholicism in the twenty-first century while also providing discussions of how the findings may be relevant for the study of American religion more broadly.

Uncovers why Catholic organizations fail to foster civic activismThe American Catholic Church boasts a long history of teaching and activism on issues of social justice. In the face of declining religious and community involvement in the twenty-first century, many modern-day Catholic groups aspire to revive the faith as well as their connections to the larger world. Yet while thousands attend weekly meetings designed to instill religiosity and a commitment to civic engagement, these programs often fail to achieve their more large-scale goals.In Catholic Activism Today, Maureen K. Day sheds light on the impediments to successfully enacting social change. She argues that popular organizations such as JustFaith Ministries have embraced an approach to civic engagement that focuses on mobilizing Catholics as individuals rather than as collectives. There is reason to think this approach is effective—these organizations experience robust participation in their programs and garner reports of having had a transformative effect on their participants' lives. Yet, Day shows that this approach encourages participants to make personal lifestyle changes rather than contend with structural social inequalities, thus failing to make real inroads in the pursuit of social justice. Moreover, the focus on the individual serves to undermine the institutional authority of the Catholic Church itself, shifting American Catholics' perceptions of the Church from a hierarchy that controls the laity to one that simply influences it as they pursue their individual paths.Drawing on three years of interview, survey, and participant observation data, Catholic Activism Today offers a compelling new take on contemporary dynamics of Catholic civic engagement and its potential effect on the Church at large.

2025 Association of Catholic Publishers Second Place Award, Resources for MinistryOver half of self-identified Catholics are regularly absent from the pews on Sunday. How do these cultural Catholics practice their faith and how can we better minister to them?  Who are “cultural Catholics” and how do we connect with them? Written by award-winning sociologist and professor of religion Maureen K. Day, Cultural Catholics tells the story of those who consider themselves Catholic, but infrequently attend Mass. This accessible book examines cultural Catholics on a range of topics, allowing readers to come to a better understanding of this group, and offers ministerial insights for connecting with and accompanying them on their spiritual journeys. Cultural Catholics comprise just over half of self-identified Catholics in the United States. Typical efforts or questions of outreach come from parishes, but because most cultural Catholics are loosely tethered to parish life, the standard avenues of Catholic ministry do not reach them in any reliable way. Using a nationally representative survey of more than 1,500 American Catholics as well as insights from ministry leaders, this book allows readers to see the differences and similarities in how cultural Catholics relate to their faith compared to Catholics in the pews. It also explores cultural Catholics' religious beliefs and practices, political and civic commitments, parish experiences, and concludes with concrete, evidence-based pastoral approaches.