Recent research on the impact of the Reformation on popular religious life in Germany, has challenged the traditional assumption that Protestantism had a deep and lasting effect on all levels of sixteenth-century life. Using the Wurttemberg Reformation Church as a case study, this book examines how the Reformation really worked at the ground level. It analyzes the attitudes and behaviour surrounding popular religious practices, and evaluates the church's attempts to reform and regulate family life and social mores. Using previously neglected archival sources, the author examines the social and cultural nature of the pastorate as a professional group, areas of conflict and agreement between representatives of the official church and the parishioners, the nature of the church visitations, and the standards and expectations of the visitors concerning lay religious life and discipline.