|17|
Preface — 5
Nils Ehrenstrom and Walter G. Muelder
PART I: FOUNDATIONS
1. The Quest for Ecumenical Institutionalization — 23
Nils Ehrenstrom
Sociology and theology in dialogue . . . Institutions in the Church and the Church as an institution . . . Ecumenical guidelines
2. The Concept of Institution in the Light of Continental Sociology and Theology — 37
Wolf-Dieter Marsch
The theological quest for historical order and permanent ties in society . . . Institutions as a problem of social science . . . Theories about freedom and institutions . . . Implications for theology . . . Institutions as a theological problem
3. Institution and Church in the North American Situation — 59
Frederick A. Shippey
A sociological consideration of social institutions . . . Theories about institutions . . . The role of institution in culture . . . Typologies of religious institutions . . . The Church among other social institutions . . . Power structure in the Church . . . The problem of church order . . . Summary
|18|
4. Institutions in the Early Church — 77
R.P.C. Hanson
Reinterpretation of Jewish institutions . . . Ministry and ministries in the Primitive Church . . . Institutional consolidation in the second century . . . Institutional flexibility and freedom . . . What is normative?
5. The Church as Koinonia and Institution — 105
Hans Dombois
Institution as a concept . . . Institutions and historic change . . . Institutional elements in the Bible . . . Institutional elements in the Church
6. Types of Religious Institutionalization — 123
Berndt Gustafsson
Institutionalization of the Church . . . Different kinds of institutionalizing agents . . . Three types of cultural institutionalization . . . Institutionalization by marginal cultures . . . The emergence of administrative strata . . . Communication as the crucial test
7. Problems of Church Bureaucracy — 145
Walter G. Muelder
Characteristics of bureaucracy . . . Bureaucracy and hierarchy . . . Church bureaucracy from the perspective of sociology . . . Problems endemic to bureaucratic ad-ministration . . . General bureaucratic problems in church union processes . . . Church bureaucracy and councils of churches
PART II: CASE STUDIES
8. The Canadian Church Union, 1925 — 171
W.E. Mann
Early glimpses of nontheological factors . . . The negotiations period 1904-1925 . . . Historical influences prior to 1902 . . . Unitive factors within the churches, 1902-1925 . . . Influential socio-economic forces . . . Social and cultural climate . . . Conclusion
|19|
9. The Methodist Union in England, 1932 — 195
John Kent
The background . . . The reunion compromise . . . Failure of local union . . . The doctrinal and institutional difficulties . . . Conclusions
10. The Church of South India — 221
Eugene L. Ten Brink
The institutional structure of the mission churches . . . The function and role of leadership . . . Sociological factors . . . The influence of Indian nationalism . . . Caste and Mission . . . Shifts in power since union . . . Conclusions . . . Chronological summary
11. The United Church of Christ in Japan — 235
Ken Ishiwara
Founding of the Kyodan . . . Reconstruction after the war . . . Inner consolidation . . . Institutional structure of the Kyodan
12. Baptist-Disciple Conversations Toward Unity — 253
Franklin E. Rector
Who are the Baptists and the Disciples? . . . Recent efforts toward merger . . . Breakdown of the conversations . . . Theological and institutional factors
13. The Methodist Union in the United States — 275
Joseph L. Allen
The three uniting communions . . . Institutional problems in the original divisions . . . Outline of the negotiations leading to union . . . Institutional problems in the negotiations . . . Persistence of old institutional problems since union . . . Conclusion
14. Presbyterian-Episcopalian Negotiations in the United States, 1937-1946 — 301
Gibson Winter
The two churches . . . A short history . . . The structure of communication . . . Social and historical context of negotiation . . . Difference in institutional pattern . . . Procedure in negotiation . . . Conclusions
|20|
15. The United Church of Christ in America: Actualizing a Church Union — 325
James M. Gustafsson
The denominations involved . . . A case study of ad-ministrative merger . . . Differences in conception of mission and “style of life” . . . Importance of key persons on the staffs . . . Differences in understanding of function . . . Differences in intra-staff and staff-board relations . . . Relations between staffs and congregations . . . Implications
16. Institutionalism and Ecumenical Co-operation in the Local Community — 353
William B. Cate
The context of the study . . . The institutionalization and the institutionalism of the local church . . . Denominational institutionalism as it affects the local churches . . . The institutionalization and institutionalism of a city council of churches . . . Some conclusions and questions
General Bibliography — 375