The Religious Research Association has had another good year. A number of developments during the past twelve months have helped us clarify our sense of direction and mission. The Board of Directors contains many talented people who think clearly and work well together. It has been a pleasure to work with them on clarifying our objectives and structure during the past two years. The Association now appears to be in a better position than for some time to go forward on a number of fronts. In our society, the softer south winds of spiritual renewal once again seem to be blowing over the face of the organized church. We live in an interesting time.

1. The Association continues to be in good fiscal condition, although publication plans for the Review may nibble away at our reserves a bit. Our members continue to be faithful, but their numbers unfortunately remain rather static.
   
   
2. Biggest event during the past year has been the Board's decision to clarify direction of focus for the Review (and presumably also for the Association and its programs): namely, to present programs and publish materials which will, directly or indirectly, forward the process of "policy decisions of religious organizations." While this purpose has always been implicit and partly present in the RRA, it is now explicit and major. For this, we have to thank vice President Hargrove and her Editorial Search and Policy Committee.
   
   
3. In line with the administrative structure adopted last year, the Board has appointed a successor to Richard Knudten as Review Editor -- James D. Davidson of Purdue University. He has marvelous plans to tell you about, having been hard at work for some five months now. For the first time, the Editor will be able to exercise full command over the entire Review staff and is himself accountable to the entire Board of Directors sitting as a publications committee. This new arrangement is administratively cleaner than the old one.
   
   
4. This summer for the first time we have been able to implement the democratizing process for elections by moans of a dual slating for all offices. This has been the year to elect a new President, Secretary, and Finance Chairperson. Congratulations to the winners -- we hope the runners up will stand by for further service.
   
   
5. We naturally have regrets over the exit from office of a number of Board members and Review editors. Above others, the Association owes a debt of thanks to Dick Knudten and Michael McCloskey, retiring Editor and Managing Editor, for all the long hours in expediting publication. Only those who themselves have burned the midnight oil on such tasks can appreciate the occasional thoughts of thanklessness entailed in such jobs. We are very grateful for their efforts to expand the departments and pages of the Review and their general desire to uphold publication standards.

   We also commend Ronald L. Johnstone, Book Review Editor, as well as Lyle Schaller, Russell R. Dynes, Jim Davidson, Edward C. Lehman, Jackson Carroll, Alan K. Waltz, Deborah C. McCloskey, Mary S. Knudten, and the seventeen or more contributing editors for their editorial contributions over the past several years.

   As for Board service, retiring Secretary Dean Hoge's work has been invaluable, showing an uncommon amount of good Presbyterian common sense. We also commend Margaret Thomas, outgoing Finance Chairperson; also Thomas Gannon, S. J. and Douglas Johnson, also going off the Board after many years.

6. As result of David Moberg's initiative, the Association has decided to transfer its archives at "475" in New York to the Marquette University Library in Milwaukee. Constant Jacquet, Jr., RRA Archivist, has ably presided over this task. The other religious research societies are coincidentally cooperating in this same project, and you too are invited to send to the Marquette Archivist any private papers you may have which bear on the work of any of these associations.

    

7. This national meeting is evidence of the excellent cooperation which exists between the RRA and the SSSR. We achieved a breakthrough last year, and Ron Johnstone has ably carried this effort forward. There are now more "RRA sessions" than ever, all of which mirror our newly explicit focus. We are grateful for the financial support for the H. Paul Douglass Lecture to [missing].

   The regional meetings, however, are sort of stepchildren of the major research societies and probably need attention. To this end, I would like to recommend that the three associations -- the Religious Research Association, the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and the Association for the Sociology of Religion -- establish a Joint SSSR-RRA-ASR Committee for Regional Meeting Development. This would mean assignment by each of one or more members of their boards who would meet as a joint committee to recommend policy for structural development and funding of regional meetings. Ordinarily the RRA Vice President has carried the responsibility within RRA for fostering regional development; but with the VP's now responsibilities as Board liaison with the Review Editor, it might be wise to assign the task of regional development to another Board member.

 In conclusion, I am delighted with the newly explicit direction of the Association and wish the new officers and editorial staff well as they carry it forward. Thanks to you all for your help during the past two years.

 Faithfully yours,

 Ross P. Scherer RRA President

(Loyola University of Chicago)