ABSTRACT
The role played by denominational cultures has seldom been widely considered within the field of congregational studies. When cultural analysis has been applied, there has been a tendency to focus on the particular and sometimes idiosyncratic local culture of individual congregations. Penny Edgell Becker has termed this the study of congregational ‘idiocultures’ (Becker, 1999, p. 10).1
In this chapter, I will first try to account for the relative neglect of denominational cultures and then suggest why a stronger focus on denominational cultures might be called for and how it might be developed within congregational studies. I will then outline and discuss the findings of a recent qualitative study of denominational cultures in relation to congregational identities. Finally, I will suggest some ways in which the insights gained from this project may be taken up in future research.
