Religion & Urban Culture 1.0

Working through community-based partnerships, we cultivated public inquiry and civic conversation about the role of religion in this exemplar metropolitan community. The six-year study of religion and community in Indianapolis for RUC 1.0,  funded by grants from Lilly Endowment, Inc., resulted in a vast amount of information made available to the community in many formats, including newsletters, a scholarly book series, two internationally distributed video series, and more.

The RUC 1.0 Religion Group encompassed researchers, sociologists, social workers, anthropologists, religious and cultural historians, policy analysts, and data specialists. Religion staff collect data on Indianapolis congregations, faith-based organizations, and community groups. They wrote about the role of religion in relation to urban communities. In conjunction with the Community Analysis Group, they evaluated programs from government, community, and nonprofit agencies.

RUC 1.0 staff included: David J. Bodenhamer, Director; Arthur E. Farnsley II, Research Director; Kevin R. Armstrong, Senior Public Teacher;  Anne Laker, Coordinator, Spirit and Place Festival; Jan Shipps, professor emeritus of history and religious studies at IUPUI; and Senior Research Associates Etan Diamond, Mary Mapes, and Elfriede Wedam.