Church Growth and Decline: A Test of the Market-Based Approach
A major concern of scholars who have applied rational choice theory to the study of religion has been to understand church growth and decline. According to some versions of this theory, churches that are in higher tension with society produce more committed members than those in lower tension. More...
| Published in: | Review of religious research |
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| Authors: | ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer
2008
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| In: |
Review of religious research
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | A major concern of scholars who have applied rational choice theory to the study of religion has been to understand church growth and decline. According to some versions of this theory, churches that are in higher tension with society produce more committed members than those in lower tension. More committed members provide their churches with more time and money resources which can be used to attract, recruit, and retain members. Therefore, higher-tension churches are more likely to grow than are lower-tension churches. Using data from a stratified random sample of churches in Shelby County, Tennessee, this study tests these ideas by inserting time and money resources, recruitment activity, and extensiveness of programs as intervening variables between church type (high-tension vs. low-tension) and church growth. The findings provide partial support for the theoretical ideas. |
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| ISSN: | 2211-4866 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Review of religious research
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