Sustaining Cathedrals

Sacred Space and Common Ground

Leslie J. Francis, Stephen G. Parker

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN:
  9781040425893
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Church

In an age when churches seem to be struggling and new initiatives remain fragile, cathedrals are displaying signs of resilience. The field of cathedral studies has emerged to test the sustainability of this resilience. This volume draws together the work of 19 individuals who are shaping the field of cathedral studies, intent on describing what they see, and keen to identify what could be. Together they position cathedrals at the heart of Anglican ecclesiology and maintain that, properly supported, cathedrals serve as episcopal theological resource churches where sacred space and common ground collide. Here faithful disciples can be nurtured and sustained, and here the low threshold welcomes in the hungry crowds whom the disciples are called for feed and to nurture. Insightful and thought-provoking, this book will be of interest to practitioners, scholars, and students of religious studies, cathedral studies, theology, and sociology. The chapters in this book were originally published in the Journal of Beliefs & Values.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Citation Information
• Notes on Contributors
• Introducing the field of cathedral studies
• 1 Anglican cathedrals as episcopal theological resource churches for nurturing growth and sustainability
• 2 Are cathedrals the arks of today? Some reflections on cathedral mission and spiritual seekers
• 3 The social contribution of an urban cathedral: the vision of Coventry Cathedral in the 1960s
• 4 The inclusivity of Anglican cathedrals and the coronation of King Charles III: embracing explicit religion, civic religion, and implicit religion
• 5 The social value of music during the Covid-19 pandemic: exploring the benefits of online music participation for social capital, education, belonging and wellbeing
• 6 Listening during Christmas Eve carol services at Liverpool Cathedral: discovering what really matters to service participants
• 7 What sweeter music: an examination of the development and popularity of carol services in cathedrals
• 8 Telling the Christmas story in words and music: the development of and contemporary missional value of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols within cathedrals
• 9 Preaching on the Bible and engaging with science during the Cathedral Christmas Eve carol services: listening to the congregation’s response
• 10 Enhancing inclusivity and diversity among cathedral visitors: the Brecon Jazz Festival and psychographic segmentation
• 11 Assessing the engagement of participants at a pre-Christmas son et lumiere in Liverpool Cathedral: a study in the individual differences tradition
• 12 Assessing visitor evaluation of an immersive cathedral experience: applying the Jungian lenses of feeling and thinking
• 13 A temple to memory: peace and war together in a strange intertwining. Stepping again into the Memorial Chapel of Liverpool Cathedral
• 14 Praying for peace: a study of visitors’ prayers offered at Liverpool Cathedral
• 15 Cathedrals in public: bridging the gap between public theology and cathedral studies
• 16 City cathedrals resourcing rural churchgoers: a study on the impact of the Exploring the Sunday Gospel programme
• 17 Saints and shrines as ‘contested heritage’ and the case of Norwich Cathedral
• 18 Engaging with the science of cathedral studies: an invitation to the Catholic Church in England and Wales
• 19 Pantheon research, practical theology, and cathedral studies
• Index