Growth or decline in the Church of England during the decade of Evangelism: did the Churchmanship of the Bishop matter?

The Decade of Evangelism occupied the attention of the Church of England throughout the 1990s. The present study employs the statistics routinely published by the Church of England in order to assess two matters: the extent to which these statistics suggest that the 43 individual dioceses finished the decade in a stronger or weaker position than they had entered it and the extent to which, according to these statistics, the performance of dioceses led by bishops shaped in the Evangelical tradition differed from the performance of dioceses led by bishops shaped in the Catholic tradition. The data demonstrated that the majority of dioceses were performing less effectively at the end of the decade than at the beginning, in terms of a range of membership statistics, and that the rate of decline varied considerably from one diocese to another. The only exception to the trend was provided by the diocese of London, which experienced some growth. The data also demonstrated that little depended on the churchmanship of the diocesan bishop in shaping diocesan outcomes on the performance indicators employed in the study

Fescue Grasses Differ Greatly in Adaptation, Winter Hardiness, and Therefore Usefulness in Southcentral Alaska

This report summarizes agronomic research with several species of fescue (Festuca spp.) conducted over recent decades at the Matanuska Research Farm (61.6°N) near Palmer in southcentral Alaska. Cultivars and strains within five species of fescue from Alaska, Canada, the conterminous states, and Europe were evaluated for winter hardiness and for forage production in comparison with two standard, non-fescue forage cultivars. Certain aspects of physiological behavior associated with winter hardiness were compared in red fescue cultivars of diverse latitudinal adaptation

Bromegrass in Alaska. II. Autumn Food-Reserve Storage, Freeze Tolerance, and Dry-Matter Concentration in Overwintering Tissues as Related to Winter Survival of Latitudinal Ecotypes

The objective of this study was to acquire improved understanding of factors that influence winter survival of bromegrass (Bromus spp.) at northern latitudes. Four bromegrass strains of diverse latitudinal origins were used: (a) native Alaskan pumpelly bromegrass (B. pumpellianus Scribn.) adapted at 61° to 65°N, (b) the Alaska hybrid cultivar Polar (predominantly B. inermis Leyss. x B. pumpellianus) selected at 61.6°N, and two smooth bromegrass (B. inermis) cultivars, (c) Manchar selected in the U.S. Pacific Northwest (43° to 47°N), and (d) Achenbach originating from Kansas (34° to 42°N)

Performance of Indigenous and Introduced Slender Wheatgrass in Alaska, and Presumed Evidence of Ecotypic Evolution

Objectives of this study were to evaluate forage and seed production, winter hardiness, and stand longevity of several collections of native Alaskan slender wheatgrass (Agropyron trachycaulum (Link) Malte), and to compare their performance with introduced cultivars of slender wheatgrass and standard Alaska forage grasses in other species. Eight experiments at the Matanuska Research Farm (61.6° N. Lat.) near Palmer, Alaska demonstrated the superior winter hardiness and forage productivity of indigenous Alaskan slender wheatgrass lines (collected from 62° to 67° N. Lat.) over introduced cultivars ‘Revenue’ (originating at 52° to 53° N) from Saskatchewan and ‘Primar’ (adapted at 46° to 48° N) from the Pacific Northwest

Winterhardiness, Forage Production, and Persistence of Introduced and Native Grasses and Legumes in Southcentral Alaska

This study consisted of four separate field experiments, each of six years duration, conducted at the University of Alaska’s Matanuska Research Farm (61.6oN) near Palmer in southcentral Alaska. Objectives were to compare winterhardiness, forage productivity, and general persistence of introduced grass and legume species, strains, and cultivars from various world sources with Alaska-developed cultivars and native Alaskan species. Twenty-one species of grasses compared (Tables 1 through 4) included eight native to Alaska, four Alaska cultivars, and numerous introduced cultivars and regional strains (one to seven per species) from North America and northern Europe. Legumes included two species of biennial sweetclover and nine species of perennials, six introduced and three native. Each experiment was harvested once near the end of the seeding year and twice annually for five years thereafter

Parental and peer influence on church attendance among adolescent Anglicans in England and Wales

Drawing on data from a survey conducted among 7,059 students aged 13–15 in England and Wales, this study examines parental and peer influence on church attendance among 645 students who identified themselves as Anglicans (Church of England or Church in Wales). The data demonstrated that young Anglicans who practised their Anglican identity by attending church did so primarily because their parents were Anglican churchgoers. Moreover, young Anglican churchgoers were most likely to keep going to church if their churchgoing parents also talked with them about their faith. Among this age group of Anglicans, peer support seemed insignificant in comparison with parental support. The implication from these findings for an Anglican Church strategy for ministry among children and young people is that it may be wise to invest in the education and formation of churchgoing Anglican parents

Psychological type profile of a church : a case study

This study responds to the challenge offered by Meunier (2012) to explore how psychological type theory and measurement may assist churches in the search for an appropriate leader (rector) by taking into account the psychological type characteristics of the church. A case study is provided from one Anglican congregation in England (N = 76), the members of which completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales during the course of a normal Sunday service. The overall profile of these 76 individuals demonstrated preferences for extraversion, sensing, feeling, and judging (ESFJ). The implications of this ESFJ profile are discussed for leadership expectations

Interpreting and responding to the Johannine feeding narrative : an empirical study in the SIFT hermeneutical method amongst Anglican ministry training candidates

Drawing on Jungian psychological type theory, the SIFT method of biblical hermeneutics and liturgical preaching maintains that different psychological type preferences are associated with distinctive readings of scripture. In the present study this theory was tested amongst two groups of ministry training candidates (a total of 26 participants) who were located within working groups according to their psychological type preferences, and invited to reflect on the Johannine feeding narrative (Jn 6:4−22), and to document their discussion. Analysis of these data provided empirical support for the theory underpinning the SIFT method

Bromegrass in Alaska. IV. Effects of Various Schedules and Frequencies of Harvest on Forage Yields and Quality and on Subsequent Winter Survival of Several Strains

Effects of different annual harvest schedules and frequencies on several cultivars and strains of bromegrass (Bromus species) were measured in five field experiments at the University of Alaska’s Matanuska Research Farm (61.6oN) near Palmer in southcentral Alaska. Most cultivars evaluated and compared were smooth bromegrass (B. inermis Leyss.). Native Alaskan pumpelly bromegrass (B. pumpellianus Scribn.) and the predominantly hybrid (B. inermis x B. pumpellianus) cultivar Polar, developed in Alaska, were included also