The CREDO Institute and the Presiding Bishop’s Office of Pastoral Development are sponsoring a research project to study “identity in the Episcopal Church.”

The project is being conducted by the University of Cincinnati’s College of Business and takes the form of a 10-part, 156-question survey. Its authors “believe that the in-depth, scientific approach taken by this study will yield a useful resource for planning, decision-making and communication” for the Church.

A section addressing Episcopal identity asked the 1,000 randomly selected clergy to rate the importance and accuracy of 23 phrases ranging from whether the Church is “focused on inclusion” to whether it has “Christ at the center.”

Section two questioned recipients about their attitudes toward the Anglican Communion with 18 phrases such as “The Anglican Communion’s successes are my successes” to “I have been ashamed at what goes on in the Anglican Communion.”

Section three seeks to identify the participants’ political orientation within the Church, asking their degree of affinity with the Anglican Communion, General Convention, diocese and parish, as well as with Forward in Faith, Via Media, the American Anglican Council, Claiming the Blessing, and the Anglican Communion Network.

The fourth and fifth sections gauge “Perceptions of the Episcopal Church USA” and “Feelings about ECUSA,” asking a similar set of questions as those posed about the Anglican Communion, as well as questions concerning the actions of the 74th General Convention.

Clergy psychological wellness comes into view in section six, which asks 10 questions ranging from “I feel that life is a positive experience” to “I feel burned out from my work.”

The last three sections gauge feelings and thoughts about the participant’s diocese and parish, as well as feelings toward the “events and consequences” of the 74th General Convention. The survey closes with a demographic survey asking questions about race, gender, age, and seminary training.

The authors of the survey, Dr. Elaine Hollensbe and Dr. Glen Kreiner, said they were pursuing three broad goals. Their research would “provide scientific perspectives about the dynamics of identity of the Church,” provide “insight on the impact of changes in identity on the health and well-being of the clergy,” and “contribute to academic understanding of how complex organizations are affected by identity-shaping issues and events.”

They noted they have already interviewed 100 “priests and leaders who are members of diverse groups in the Church” and have visited a number of congregations. A spokesperson for CREDO said the institute hoped to make preliminary results of the study available by next June.

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