In Places of Promise, Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce present the ways in which location is defined and employ results from research to reveal how location influences congregational life. Woolever and Bruce include illustrations to demonstrate that every congregation can achieve strength and effectiveness in its present location if its ministry focus and leadership decisions parallel factors that are important to the community.
Deborah Bruce (1955 – 2012) was Associate Research Manager in the Research Services office of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Project Manager of the U.S. Congregational Life Survey. She worked in a variety of applied research settings before coming to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). She served as an officer for the Religious Research Association and was a member of that organization and the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, presented numerous papers at professional meetings, and published articles in professional journals. Deborah received a master’s degree in research psychology from San Diego State University.
