Exploring religious history, education, and institutional change.
I’m Eric Paul Rogers. I study religious history and help organizations understand how they learn, change, and make decisions.
My work brings together historical scholarship, educational research, and a career in religious education. I’m especially interested in how institutions shape authority, identity, and belonging—and how people experience those institutions.
Explore my research ↓Professional background →Download CV (PDF)
Questions that guide my work
Research & scholarship
I explore the history of Latter Day Saint movements and the development of religious education. My research connects archival records and personal experiences with questions about governance, family, technology, and institutional knowledge.
Restoration studies
Religious authority, schism, and community across Latter Day Saint traditions, including the Morrisite movement and Community of Christ, with documentary editions of Mark Hill Forscutt’s journals and Sketch of Joseph Morris.
Religious education
The history of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, with attention to employment, online learning, assessment, and information systems.
- Eric Paul Rogers, comp. Church Educational System Research Bibliography, October 2026 ed. Zenodo, 2026.
- Eric Paul Rogers, Matthew Langton, and Michael Goldhardt. “By Study and Also by Faith: Online Learning in Seminaries and Institutes of Religion.” Religious Educator 27, no. 1 (2026): 101–128.
- Eric Paul Rogers and Iliana Christensen. “The Politics of Belonging: Gender, Family, and Gatekeeping in LDS Religious Education.” John Whitmer Historical Association Journal 45, no. 2 (2025): 113–130.
Recent Publications
Current research · In progress
The digital transformation of religious education
How did information systems change the way Seminaries and Institutes of Religion understood its students, organized its work, and made decisions?
Working with James Izatt and David White, I am tracing the development of S&I’s information systems and examining their effects on everyday work, institutional knowledge, and governance. The project brings together historical records and oral histories to explore the people and decisions behind technological change. It appears on my Scholarship page as “Sent to a Magic Place”: The Platformed Epistemic Infrastructure of Latter-day Saint Religious Education.
Explore my current research →From language classrooms to online learning
Teaching & education
My career began with teaching and grew into research and institutional leadership. I taught German at BYU, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Missionary Training Center, and religion at BYU and online through BYU–Hawai‘i.
Within Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, I served as a seminary teacher, coordinator, institute director at the University of Montana, and research manager. Across these settings, I worked with learners, instructors, and leaders to understand educational experiences and improve practice.
Explore my experience → · Education & qualifications → · Download my CV (PDF) →
Evidence for better decisions
Consulting
I help educational and mission-driven organizations understand what is working, identify gaps, and plan practical improvements. My approach draws on experience in institutional research, program evaluation, assessment development, psychometric analysis, and organizational leadership.
Program evaluation
Clarify a program’s goals, examine the available evidence, and develop recommendations for improving its effectiveness.
Research & assessment
Develop assessments, surveys, and evaluation tools, conduct psychometric analyses, and translate results into clear reports that support decisions.
Organizational improvement
Review workflows, information needs, and priorities, then develop an action plan suited to the organization’s capacity and goals.
Each engagement begins with a specific question or decision. Together, we define the scope and agree on useful deliverables, such as an evaluation report, survey findings, or an improvement plan.
Supporting a scholarly community
Professional service
I serve as President-Elect of the John Whitmer Historical Association and program chair for its 2027 conference. I also co-chaired the 2026 conference program in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
A little about me
A career built around questions
Language teaching, religious history, and educational measurement may seem like different paths. For me, they share a common interest: how people make meaning, and how we can understand their experiences more carefully.
I hold a PhD in Instructional Psychology and Technology from BYU, an MA in Germanic Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BA in German Teaching from BYU. I retired from Seminaries and Institutes of Religion in July 2025 and continue to write, research, and consult.
I live in Salt Lake City. Away from my work, I enjoy hiking, golf, travel, and time with family.
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