Who is inspired to follow Bishop Barron? Applying psychological type and psychological temperament theory among lay Catholic participants at an event sponsored in London by the Word on Fire Institute

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present study draws on psychological type theory and psychological temperament theory to test the extent to which Bishop Barron’s ministry shaped by the Word on Fire Institute is reaching people less effectively reached by Catholic congregations. Data provided by 168 male and 292 female participants attending Bishop Barron’s day conference in central London during February 2023, who completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales, demonstrated that this event attracted significantly higher proportions of intuitive types and of thinking types, compared with Catholic churchgoers. However, like Catholic congregations, extraverts and perceiving types remained under-represented among the followers of Bishop Barron. The implications of these findings are discussed for the ongoing nurture of those attracted to Bishop Barron alongside inherited congregations.