Alban Institute Formed; To Aid Local Church Operations
Diocesan Press Service. June 28, 1974 [74195]
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- An independent non-profit organization, The Alban Institute, Inc., has been established to work with religious institutions of all denominations for the betterment of local congregations, it has been announced here.
The Institute is a permanent outgrowth of Project Test Pattern, a four-year research and development program of the Episcopal Church in studying parish operating methods and helping parishes function better.
The Rev. Loren B. Mead, who was director of Project Test Pattern until its work was completed at 1973 year-end, is founder and director of Alban Institute, which is headquartered at facilities of the Washington Cathedral. Start-up and first-year costs are being underwritten by grants of $25,000 by an individual contributor, and of $30,000 by The Episcopal Church Foundation, a national independent organization of laymen that initiates and underwrites projects in support of the Church. Operations will be partially self- supporting through service fees and sale of publications.
Mr. Mead said the Institute is "independent of but closely related to" the Church, and that its work will be ecumenical in nature in that its services are available to any research group, educational institution or regional church organization interested in local religious congregations.
Early projects include identification of factors to be considered in the important first months of a clergy-laity relationship to get a new ministry off to a good start; research into the staff interaction problems peculiar to very large congregations, and a study of the effects that non-curriculum influences in the seminary have on the training of pastors. Results will be produced in papers, books, lectures, seminars and cassette recordings for the use of church executives, ministers, boards of vestries, and other interested persons.
"Much effective work in parish improvement is going on within the Church, but there is a gap between progress being made and its transmittal," Mr. Mead said. "It is the role of the Institute to serve as the conduit between what has been learned in one place and people who may need the knowledge elsewhere. We also will be examining new areas where little has been learned."
He said that the Insitute will offer studies to regional church organizations, such as dioceses or area conferences, and that individual congregations may retain the Institute. If their problems fit into ongoing research, he explained, he either would pursue the study himself or assign an associated consultant. If not, they would be referred to resources located near them.
Mr. Mead received his B.A. degree at Sewanee, an M.A. in English at the University of South Carolina and an M. Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary. He has done additional work at the Institute for Advanced Pastoral Studies, the Graduate School of City and Regional Planning of the University of North Carolina, the National Training Laboratories and Boston University. In 1968 he was a fellow of the College of Preachers. He served for 15 years as a parish priest in North and South Carolina.
In addition to a number of articles in periodicals he is the author of the book, " New Hope for Congregations," and was editor of "The Parish Intervention Handbook" and "Celebration of Life." He has consulted extensively with seminaries and a number of denominations, and is a frequent speaker before religious groups.
Alban Institute associates with Mr. Mead are the Rev. James D. Anderson, author and consultant, and an educator-trainer, theologian and researcher; the Rev. Tilden H. Edwards Jr., founder-director of the Metropolitan Ecumenical Training Center and a consultant, and the Rev. John C. Harris, author and consultant, and an innovator of systems approaches to clergy training and development.