Authors: Amy L Sales, Gary A. Tobin
ISBN-13: 9780313296819, ISBN-10: 0313296812
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated
Date Published: September 1995
Edition: (Non-applicable)
AMY L. SALES is a Professor and senior research associate at the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, Brandeis University.
GARY A. TOBIN is a Professor and Director of the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, Brandeis University.
In this book, scholars and church and synagogue leaders examine religious affiliation in contemporary America. Their essays explore the dynamics of congregational affiliation: the motivations which impel people to join a congregation, drop out or remain unaffiliated; the practices within churches and synagogues which attract or repel membership; and the ways in which contextual religious, social, and cultural factors influence patterns of congregational affiliation. The book is principally concerned with churches and synagogues in the more liberal denominations of Christianity and Judaism, those where the greatest membership losses are occurring.
Over the past few decades membership in mainline churches in the United States has declined, with some groups losing more than 20 percent of their membership. Similarly, four decades ago, 60 percent of all American Jews were religiously affiliated; today that number is below 40 percent. This book seeks not only to explain the reasons for declines in affiliation, but also to propose approaches that may combat the decline and showcase studies of congregations that have succeeded in holding their memberships. This work will be of great interest to scholars of religion in America as well as clerics, rabbis, and others actively involved in congregational life.
Papers emerging from a joint project of the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis U. and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. They report on research and practice which explores the dynamics of congregational affiliation: the motivations that impel people to join a congregation, drop out, or remain unaffiliated; the practices within churches and synagogues that attract or repel membership; and the ways in which contextual religious, social, and cultural factors influence patterns of congregational affiliation. The principal concern is with churches and synagogues in the more liberal denominations of Christianity and Judaism, where the greatest membership losses have been occurring. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Figures and Table | ||
Foreword | ||
Introduction | 1 | |
1 | A Framework for Understanding Congregational Affiliation: Suggestions from Research within the Christian Tradition | 17 |
2 | Definitions of Congregational Growth | 27 |
3 | Interdenominational Dialogue: Seeking a Common Language for Affiliation Research and Practice | 41 |
4 | Congregational Involvement of Young Adults Who Grew Up in Protestant Churches | 59 |
5 | Four Styles of Religious Marginality | 77 |
6 | Profiles of the Disaffiliated: Four Case Studies | 95 |
7 | Reaching Out to the Unaffiliated | 113 |
8 | Luther Place Memorial Church: A Church as Refuge/Sanctuary | 127 |
9 | Bethany Baptist Church: Growth through Planning and Social Action | 135 |
10 | Congregation B'nai Jeshurun: The Power of a Relevant Message | 143 |
11 | Leadership, Ministry, and Integrity Amid Changing Roles for Clergy and Laity | 155 |
12 | The Role of National Religious Institutions in Congregational Affiliation and Growth | 167 |
Afterword | 177 | |
For Further Reading | 183 | |
Index | 185 | |
About the Editors and Contributors | 191 |