Saints and Seekers: Sources of Recruitment to the Vineyard Christian Fellowship

This is a study of the sources of recruitment to a rapidly growing new evangelical religious denomination, the Vineyard Christian Fellowship (VCF). Data from a west coast sample of the VCF are compared to a national NORC sample. Comparisons are also made within the VCF sample between those recruits...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Perrin, Robin D. (Author) ; Mauss, Armand L. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage Publications 1991
In: Review of religious research
Year: 1991, Volume: 33, Issue: 2, Pages: 97-111
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Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
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Summary:This is a study of the sources of recruitment to a rapidly growing new evangelical religious denomination, the Vineyard Christian Fellowship (VCF). Data from a west coast sample of the VCF are compared to a national NORC sample. Comparisons are also made within the VCF sample between those recruits coming from Protestant mainline, conservative, and Catholic backgrounds. The evidence indicates that (1) recruits are coming mainly from Protestant mainline and Catholic denominations, contrary to the "circulation of the Saints" hypothesis, and that (2) recruits are apparently seeking more demanding forms of religious affiliation, especially if they have been reared in mainline traditions, a finding in accord with the expectations of Dean Kelley and of Stark et al., and with the work of Rosabeth Kanter. The findings have important implications for current controversies in the literature over the sources of differential church growth and over the traditional "secularization" thesis.
ISSN:2211-4866
Contains:Enthalten in: Review of religious research
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2307/3511907