The church studies its emerging function

This article appeared originally in the Journal of Social Issues, published by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (a division of the American Psychological Association) and is published by permission of the editor and the author. The entire issue of that quarterly was devoted to the theme of psychotherapy and group counseling by the various helping professions. In commenting on Dr. Cope's particular article, the editors of the issue said: We feel that Dr. Cope's article expresses in an eloquent way the real sense of responsibility he has toward the growth of personality as a function of one of society's oldest institutions. Moreover in his own style he has related the issues involved in psychotherapy to the great historical issues of the ages. Perhaps we can say that his article is a kind of datum as to the impact of social science on his own thinking and his institutional office.