Organization from Community: A Case Study of Congregational Renewal

Abstract

This article is a case study of one minister's effort at congregational renewal in a small-town, mainline Protestant church that had persistently lost members as the congregation aged. Although the article describes the minister, his efforts, and his church, the main goal is to show how we may view organizations as subcomponents of the communities in which they exist. The article explicitly conceptualizes this church renewal effort as an example of an organizational type first proposed by Janowitz in describing the community press in urban settings. To move beyond the business model of organizations in analyzing nonprofit organizations, we need to find conceptual models that represent clear alternatives. We also need case examples that clearly illustrate those conceptual alternatives. This case is offered in that spirit.