Religion and Urban Culture (RUC) examines the role religious congregations play in the life of Indianapolis. In summer of 2019, we proposed to study how congregations adapt to the many social changes they face. When our research began in summer of 2020, those changes were thrown into sharp relief by the effects of the Covid pandemic.
RUC produces detailed observations and analysis of more than forty Indianapolis congregations as they navigate this new terrain. RUC also provides in-depth analysis of the relationship between congregations and their neighborhoods.
In 2021, RUC began a partnership with the national project Exploring the Pandemic’s Impact in Congregations. RUC is also creating new data for two other Polis Center projects: The Digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis and the SAVI Community Information System. The original Religion and Urban Culture Project (1996-2002) produced the largest collection of data ever assembled about religion in one city.