Congregational studies

A forward agenda (2025-2035)

Bibliographic Data

ID20242573
AuthorsJulian Gotobed (0000-0002-0349-5163, Westcott House, corresponding author)
Year2026
Pages1-20
Publication date2026-05-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePractical Theology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1756-073X • E-ISSN: 1756-0748
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1756073x.2026.2647544
OpenAlexW7162310926
LanguageEN
References cited41

This article reflects upon the plenary papers, strand discussions, and written feedback generated by participants in the Congregational Studies Symposium (CSS) 2025, in dialogue with relevant literature, to propose a forward agenda, namely, six ‘pathways’ for those active in the field of Congregational Studies in the UK and US over the next ten years (2025-2035). The pathways are: First, continue to question the rationale for Congregational Studies, and explore the cultural and theological factors that shape the field. Second, listen to missing or infrequent voices: denominational, ethnic, and global. Third, pay attention to neglected ‘spaces’: cathedrals, digital/hybrid realms, and church planting. Fourth, persevere with the practice of positionality and apply postcolonial critiques to enable reciprocity across cultures, ethnicities, and denominations. Fifth, revisit the dialogue between theology and the social sciences, and make room for lived experience in theology. Sixth, attend to processes internal to congregations: governance, church meetings, conflict, worship, the transmission of Christianity, formation in discipleship, and clergy/spiritual abuse. The piece concludes with some proposals to develop the field of Congregational Studies in the UK and USA

Christian Theology and Mission · Jewish Identity and Society · Pentecostalism and Christianity Studies

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