Lecture to unveil a recent survey of the lifestyles and beliefs of the BIC

On Thursday, February 22, Ron Burwell, professor of sociology at Messiah College and member of the Grantham (Pa.) congregation, will give a public lecture on the findings of the Church Member Profile 2006 (CMP2006) project, which surveyed 1,000 U.S. Brethren in Christ members about faith, beliefs and practices, lifestyles, and their relationship to society.

Mark your calendar Thursday, February 22 7:30 p.m. The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, Pa. (717) 361-1470

The CMP2006 is a cooperative research project involving three denominations: The Brethren in Christ Church, Mennonite Church USA, and the Church of the Brethren. The project builds upon two earlier denominational studies (done in 1972 and 1989) that involved five Anabaptist denominations. Using data from earlier projects, it is now possible to track nearly 35 years of changes in beliefs, values, and practices among these groups—changes that, when carefully analyzed, yield a helpful projection of where each of these denominations is headed in the coming years.

Open to the public, Burwell’s lecture will focus on the findings of the Brethren in Christ survey, and will serve as the first public release of this data. The lecture will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, located on Elizabethtown College’s campus in Elizabethtown, Pa.

To find out more, or to get directions, call the Young Center at (717) 361-1470.

Posted 02.06.2007