The Role of Whites in Lay Leadership Within Latino Churches

Latinos are the largest ethnoracial minority group in America, and Latino congregations play an important role in the lives of their members and communities. Yet, little research exists on these congregations. The current study provides an examination of the lay leadership structures and power dynam...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Martinez, Brandon C. (Author) ; Tamburello, Jeffrey A. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell [2018]
In: Journal for the scientific study of religion
Year: 2018, Volume: 57, Issue: 1, Pages: 39-57
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B USA / Latin Americans / Church congregation / Whites / Leadership task
RelBib Classification:CB Christian life; spirituality
KBQ North America
RG Pastoral care
Further subjects:B Congregations
B as / Latino
B lay leadership
B Race
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
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Description
Summary:Latinos are the largest ethnoracial minority group in America, and Latino congregations play an important role in the lives of their members and communities. Yet, little research exists on these congregations. The current study provides an examination of the lay leadership structures and power dynamics within Latino congregations. Drawing from organizational ecology theory and the homophily principle as well as contemporary racial stratification literature, we propose competing hypotheses regarding the roles whites play within the lay leadership and power structures of Latino congregations. Utilizing a national multilevel data set, we find the persistence of white privilege existing within Latino congregations, as whites are more likely to hold lay leadership positions within these congregations than Latinos, despite their numeric minority status. Moreover, our results reveal that individual access to the decision-making process in these congregations increases for both whites and multiracial individuals as the proportion of Latinos increases in their congregation. We further discuss the implications of these findings.
ISSN:1468-5906
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the scientific study of religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/jssr.12497