This work studies research methods, such as opinion polling and demographic statistics, used by the Catholic Church in West Germany. The book describes the challenges the Church’s attempts to understand the nature and meaning of secularization, details the efforts the Church made to develop new pastoral programs, and reports on new ways to engage the laity in response to societal change during the period. At the same time, the book also presents a history of the various ways in which methods of applied social science were employed by the Church and how they offered new insight on the challenges of secularization. The book is translated from the German by Andrew Evans. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)