Density and Growth in a Congregational Population: Reformed Churches in New York, 1628-2000
How and why religious groups grow are central questions in the study of religion. Previous research largely fails to account for the dynamic relationship between an environment, a religious group, and its growth. We present organizational theory on density dependence to explain this dynamic. We test...
| 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
Year: 2008, Volume: 49, Issue: 3, Pages: 233-250 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | How and why religious groups grow are central questions in the study of religion. Previous research largely fails to account for the dynamic relationship between an environment, a religious group, and its growth. We present organizational theory on density dependence to explain this dynamic. We test the theory using historical data on a population of Reformed Church in America congregations in New York from 1628 to 2000. As expected, a curvilinear relationship exists between the density of congregations and the number of new congregations founded each year in the state. Positive effects of legitimacy lead to increased congregational foundings early in the population's history, while negative effects of resource scarcity and competition reverse denominational growth late in its history. |
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| ISSN: | 2211-4866 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Review of religious research
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