This is a study of the attitude to congregational life and change in six Irish religious congregations. A total of 162 religious responded to a detailed questionnaire related to the following topics: communication; participation in the congregation; mission statement, charism; purpose of the congregation; satisfaction with the congregation; leadership; congregational life; work; and change. The study identified a number of negative areas, which must give cause for concern at this crucial stage m the life of many Irish congregations. It also identified a lack of specificity m the mission statements of congregations, which is likely to prevent any evaluation of congregational effectiveness and suggested a number of strategies based on organisational development models.