Center for Social Research

Prof. Corwin Smidt and student to publish paper on political cues during worship

Political science professor Corwin Smidt and senior Calvin College student Brian Schaap have co-authored a paper which will be published in a future issue of the Review of Religious Research (RRR). The paper is titled "Public Worship and Public Engagement: Pastoral Cues within the Context of Worship Services". An advance PDF copy of the unpublished working paper is available.

Dr. Corwin Smidt

Brian Schaap

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CRC 150th Anniversary Survey

The CSR is well into administering a completely online Christian Reformed Church 150th Anniversary Survey. More than 1400 responses have already been received! 

The CSR would like to thank all who have participated as well as the survey coordinators who have been invaluable in recruiting participants.

Please follow this link to fill out the survey if you are part of a CRC congregation and would like to participate.

CRC 150th Anniversary Survey

 

CSR report to CRC on the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program

On November 15, CSR presented its 2007 survey report to the board of the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence project in the Christian Reformed Church. The report is posted here.

Calvin team maps health care for low-income patients

In summer 2007, Dr. Fred De Jong and social work student Lauren Vander Plas (at left) completed a significant report for the Grand Rapids Healthy Communities Access Program (GRHCAP), a federal grant awarded to Cherry Street Health Services as the head of a regional consortium of health care organizations.

The report’s maps illustrate the depth and breadth of low-income coverage provided by Grand Rapids’ growing clinic network. For example, the green areas in the map detail below show that the low-income patient population living in central Grand Rapids is a substantial proportion of the estimated low-income population in those same areas.

CRC projects in the works

CSR is working away on two major projects related to the Christian Reformed Church, Calvin College’s parent church.

A report to the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence (SPE) program on the Spring 2007 survey of pastors and clerks of council, to be presented to the SPE advisory board at their November 15 meeting and posted for public view thereafter. The report will compare results with the first wave conducted in 2004-2005, documented in a 2005 report.

The fifth quinquennial (every five years since 1987) survey of CRC members and attenders, conducted in the CRC’s Sesquicentennial (150th) year. The new survey is sponsored by the Ministry Council of the CRCNA, led by former CSR director Rodger Rice, and scheduled for all-electronic deployment later this fall.