Email this article 
Hide
Show all
Original Research
The Holly Bough service at Liverpool Cathedral and psychological type theory: Fresh expressions or inherited church?
Submitted: 28 July 2020 | Published: 22 December 2020
About the author(s)
Leslie J. Francis, CEDAR, Faculty of Social Sciences, Warwick University, Warwick, United Kingdom; and, Department of New Testament Studies and Related Literature, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South AfricaSusan H. Jones, Department of New Testament Studies and Related Literature, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; and, Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool,, United Kingdom
Ursula McKenna, Department of New Testament Studies and Related Literature, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; and, CES, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
Abstract
One of the key intentions of fresh expressions of church is to reach the kind of people inherited church find it hard to reach. Psychological type profiling of church congregations has demonstrated that Anglican churches have particular difficulty in reaching those whose Jungian judging preference is for thinking rather than for feeling. Studies that have explored the psychological type profile of participants within fresh expressions suggest that they do not significantly differ from inherited congregations in terms of reaching thinking types. Two previous studies, however, have reported higher proportions of thinking types attending cathedral carol services. The present study among 441 individuals attending the Holly Bough service in Liverpool Cathedral also found a higher proportion of thinking types among the participants. These findings suggest that cathedral carol services may be functioning as fresh expressions of church in a significant way.
Contribution: Situated within the science of cathedral studies, rooted in psychological type theory, and drawing on data from 441 attendees at the Holly Bough service, this study demonstrates that cathedral services at Christmas are more successful than either inherited church or fresh expressions of church in reaching thinking types.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 3063Total article views: 3047
Crossref Citations
1. Magnifying Religious Ideologies: A Critical Discourse Analysis on Christian Sermons
John Neil Solas, Jerlyn Balones
Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal vol: 42 issue: 8 first page: 1089 year: 2025
doi: 10.70838/pemj.420802
2. Belonging through Events? Exploring the Demographic Profile, Motivations, and Experiences of Those Attending the Afternoon Carol Services on Christmas Eve at Liverpool Cathedral
Leslie J. Francis, Susan H. Jones, Ursula McKenna, Nelson Pike, Emma Williams
Religions vol: 12 issue: 2 first page: 90 year: 2021
doi: 10.3390/rel12020090
3. The social value of music during the COVID-19 pandemic: exploring the benefits of online music participation for social capital, education, belonging and wellbeing
Simone Krüger Bridge
Journal of Beliefs & Values vol: 44 issue: 4 first page: 517 year: 2023
doi: 10.1080/13617672.2023.2263723
4. Who is inspired to follow Bishop Barron? Applying psychological type and psychological temperament theory among lay Catholic participants at an event sponsored in London by the Word on Fire Institute
Leslie J. Francis, Francis Davis, Ursula McKenna
Mental Health, Religion & Culture first page: 1 year: 2024
doi: 10.1080/13674676.2023.2293831
5. Introducing the Francis Psychological Type and Emotional Temperament Scales (FPTETS): a study among church leaders and church members
Andrew Village, Leslie J. Francis
Religion, Brain & Behavior vol: 13 issue: 4 first page: 399 year: 2023
doi: 10.1080/2153599X.2022.2160800
6. Preaching on the Bible and engaging with science during the Cathedral Christmas Eve carol services: listening to the congregation’s response
Nelson Pike
Journal of Beliefs & Values vol: 44 issue: 4 first page: 535 year: 2023
doi: 10.1080/13617672.2023.2271303
7. Listening during Christmas Eve carol services at Liverpool Cathedral: discovering what really matters to service participants
Nelson A. Pike
Journal of Beliefs & Values vol: 45 issue: 3 first page: 314 year: 2024
doi: 10.1080/13617672.2024.2315401
8. Exploring the responses of non-churchgoers to a cathedral pre-Christmas son et lumiere
Ursula McKenna, Leslie J. Francis, Andrew Village, Francis Stewart
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies vol: 80 issue: 1 year: 2024
doi: 10.4102/hts.v80i1.9347
9. Anglican cathedrals as episcopal theological resource churches for nurturing growth and sustainability
Leslie J. Francis
Journal of Beliefs & Values vol: 44 issue: 4 first page: 464 year: 2023
doi: 10.1080/13617672.2023.2264671
10. Bibliometric and Altmetric Analysis of the 100 Most Cited Articles on Piriformis Syndrome
Burak Tayyip Dede, Muhammed Oguz, Fatih Bagcier, Ebru Aytekin
Medical Bulletin of Haseki year: 2024
doi: 10.4274/haseki.galenos.2024.9841