The Value of Re-Studies in Sociology: The Case of Clergy and Ministers, 1971 to 1985

Abstract

This article presents the results of a partial re-study of an investigation of the religious functionary reported in Clergy, Ministers and Priests by Ranson, Bryman and Hinings (1977). The re-study reveals a mixture of both continuity and change in respect of a variety of themes that had been addressed in the earlier investigation. The article reflects on the significance of the findings for the sociology of religion (and the study of churches in particular), but also draws out a number of methodological implications for the problems and prospects of conducting re-studies in sociology.