Church Ethics and Its Organizational Context

Church Ethics and Its Organizational Context is the first book to provide a broadly interdisciplinary approach to understanding the leadership crisis in the Catholic Church in the wake of the sex abuse scandal and how it was handled. Well-known scholars, religious clergy, and lay people in the trenches of church formation and leadership come together from the disciplines of organizational behavior, theology, sociology, history, and law, to foster the creation of a new code of ethics that is both ecclesial and professional. Touching on issues of governance, authority, accountability, and transparency, this volume goes on to specifically explore whether and how professional ethics can shape the identity and actions of Church leaders, ministers, and their congregations.

While evoked by the sex scandal in the Church, the essays in this book raise questions that have implications far beyond this current issue, to much broader issues such as the role of professionalism in ethics and what it means for an organization to engage in moral action.

Editors:

Jean M. Bartunek, RSCJ, is the Robert A. and Evelyn J. Ferris Chair and professor of organization studies at Boston College. Her most recent book is Organizational and Educational Change. Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM, is associate professor of theology at Boston College. She is coauthor of It Comes From the People: Community Development and Local Theory. James F. Keenan, S.J., is professor of theological ethics at Boston College and author of both The Works of Mercy and Moral Wisdom.

Contributors:

Jean M. Bartunek, John P. Beal, Francis J. Butler, Patricia M. Y. Chang, Daniel R. Coquillette, Michele Dillon, Kimberly D. Elsbach, Richard R. Gaillardetz, Richard M. Gula, C. R. Hinings, James F. Keenan, Paul Lakeland, Michael K. Mauws, Judith A. McMorrow, Richard P. Nielsen, James M. O'Toole, James E. Post, Denise M. Rousseau

Romwan & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005

Reviews:

"The essays collected here are unparalleled in the breadth and depth of their analysis of a church in crisis. Moreover, the authors take us beyond their penetrating analysis to a realistic vision of renewal and reform."--Donald Cozzens, author of Faith That Dares to Speak

"I sat down to review and ended up devouring this book. At last we have a comprehensive perspective on the American Roman Catholic Church that combines sound ecclesiology with a contemporary organizational critique. This book will empower those trained