Posts Tagged ‘Kreiner’

If the Pope Invites, Will They Come?

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

“The Vatican announced a stunning decision Tuesday to make it easier for Anglicans to convert, reaching out to those who are disaffected by the election of women and gay bishops to join the Catholic Church’s conservative ranks,” The Associated Press reports. Smeal’s Glen Kreiner, who has conducted several studies on the organizational identity of the Episcopal Church, sees three ways this play out within the Anglican Church:

This week’s offer by the Pope to accept certain Anglican priests into the Catholic Church is an interesting and complicated turn of events.
 
First, and most readily apparent, is that it gives a certain subgroup of disaffected Anglican priests a place to go where they find themselves more “at home” with their beliefs.
 
Second, thinking with a longer-term view, it could provide added incentive for the global Anglican leadership to find palatable solutions for the conservatives in the Communion. Knowing that the Catholic option is on the table might make it even more important to have a viable, attractive option within the Communion.
 
Third, it should be noted that there would be considerable difficulties for the vast majority of Anglican priests to make this shift. Although conservative Anglicans find themselves aligned on many issues with Rome (e.g., homosexuality), there are many substantial issues of dissimilarity, especially that of authority—Anglicans are not accustomed to having a strong, central leader. Additionally, Anglicans cherish their history and identity, and a considerable aspect of that identity is blending elements of Catholicism and Protestantism rather than being one or the other.

Kreiner’s most recent research on the Episcopal Church has just been released as part of the church’s Around One Table initiative, which focuses on the main aspects of Episcopal identity, or what it means to be Episcopalian. Kreiner recently shared the results of another study with Smeal’s Research with Impact Web site. In this study, Kreiner explains how Episcopal priests manage work-life balance and what the rest of us can learn from them.

Tags: Kreiner, Organizations
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Episcopal Identity

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

The leadership of the Episcopal Church voted this week to end its moratorium on ordaining gay bishops, marking what one Anglican Bishop calls “a clear break with the rest of the Anglican Communion.”

Smeal’s Glen Kreiner, assistant professor of management, studies the organizational identity of the Episcopal Church, and explains how this latest development stretches its identity:

The vote this week by Episcopal Church lay and ordained leadership is really the latest step in a move toward full inclusion in the Church. In some ways, though, it’s surprising, particularly given the Archbishop of Canterbury’s plea earlier in the convention to avoid controversy. But with many conservatives having now left the church, there are fewer roadblocks for such a vote to pass.

The central question is—and has been for some time—how far can the identity of the Episcopal Church stretch without breaking? For some people, parishes, and dioceses, it’s already broken; they’ve left or have one foot out the door. For others, the identity still needs to stretch more—to be more inclusive. Still others see it right where they want it to be, or simply don’t care enough about the national church politics to take action. In our research on the church, we’ve heard many comparisons to marriage and divorce; for some, this vote means even less hope of reconciliation.
 
Another key question is, what will the response be by various parts of the Anglican Communion? Conservative provinces will likely see this as fuel on the proverbial fire, and more justification for leaving the Communion or demanding a significant restructuring of it. It’s really a contest for the identity of the Anglican Communion. For some, holding the Communion together is the priority, and theological or values differences are secondary. For others, the Communion is not worth holding together (at least in its current form) if it does not collectively reflect the same core values.

Tags: Kreiner, Organizations
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