1999
J. Derek Harbin
It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
This thesis first synthesizes the distinctive characteristics of an emerging type of congregation as described in the separate works of George G. Hunter III and William M. Easum. It then contrasts this incarnational, “Apostolic/Spiritual Redwood Attitudinal Pattern” with both the Episcopal Church’s Prayer Book as well as the surveyed attitudes of its 941 presbyters (priests) aged forty and under. The author argues that the Attitudinal Pattern of these congregations describes the kind of church implied by the Baptismal Covenant, Ordination Rites and Catechism of the Prayer Book. The forty-two percent survey return rate from the presbyter pool provides a compelling look at the degree of alignment or conflict that exists between the Attitudinal Pattern, congregational life, and the longings, opinions and practices of these ordained congregational leaders. The thesis finally combines these collective insights to propose one path for the redevelopment of Episcopal Church congregational life into the twenty-first century.