The Impact of New Church Development on Southern Baptist Growth
This paper examines the role of new churches in the growth of the Southern Baptist Convention. It was found that newer churches are more likely to grow than are older churches, and that the relationship holds even when controlling for size of church and church setting. Additional findings indicate t...
| Published in: | Review of religious research |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer
1990
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| In: |
Review of religious research
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | This paper examines the role of new churches in the growth of the Southern Baptist Convention. It was found that newer churches are more likely to grow than are older churches, and that the relationship holds even when controlling for size of church and church setting. Additional findings indicate that new churches contribute about one quarter of the growth of the denomination and that the effects of differing rates of new church development are cumulative overtime. Starting no new churches would not lead to decline in the Southern Baptist Convention over the next 20 years, but it would cut the rate of growth in half. It is also suggested that the membership declines experienced by mainline denominations over the past 20 years are at least partially due to steep drops in the number of new churches started annually. Efforts to understand denominational growth and decline should look at the mundane organizational activity which produces growth, as well as the theological, cultural and demographic factors which have affected American denominations during the last several decades. |
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| ISSN: | 2211-4866 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Review of religious research
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3511562 |