The cathedral as icon: a study of congregational growth in cathedrals

Abstract

This thesis, based on quantitative research carried out in early 2007, is an exploration of congregational growth in English cathedrals, seeking to examine some of the factors that may have contributed to this reported numerical growth.
Data from questionnaires completed by a sample of adult worshippers from three particular cathedral congregations in Birmingham, Durham, and Portsmouth, was analysed in order to gain some understanding of both the sociological make-up of these particular cathedral congregations, and also why these particular people said they were attracted to cathedral worship.
In all three cathedrals, those who took part in this research highlighted the importance of choral music, along with a particular type of service and style of worship, in attracting them to the cathedral in the first place. They then spoke of the importance of belonging to the cathedral community, together with prayer and spirituality, as being among the most important aspects of their association with the cathedral now.
In the light of these responses, this thesis concluded with an interpretative piece of applied theology exploring whether the idea that people come to cathedrals in order to be anonymous is in fact a myth, and then suggesting the "cathedral as icon" as a metaphor to describe the way in which a cathedral might nurture a journey into belonging to a cathedral community.