Congregational Cohesion, Retention, and the Consequences of Size Reduction: A Longitudinal Network Analysis of an Old Order Amish Church
Congregations depend on their members for their success and survival. Yet there is a lack of research examining congregational retention or exit. Social networks are key to understanding religious group dynamics including retention; however, research on religious communities using network analysis...
| Published in: | Sociology of religion |
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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: |
Oxford Univ. Press
[2020]
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| In: |
Sociology of religion
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Amish
/ Municipality
/ Group cohesion
/ Network analysis (Sociology)
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| IxTheo Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy KBQ North America KDH Christian sects |
| Further subjects: | B
Articles
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Congregations depend on their members for their success and survival. Yet there is a lack of research examining congregational retention or exit. Social networks are key to understanding religious group dynamics including retention; however, research on religious communities using network analysis is limited. We use Amish directories to compile longitudinal census data on intracongregational familial ties in our case study. We theorize and find that cohesion is inversely related to congregational size and positively related to retention. We find that splitting congregations reduces cohesion when members central to the network are removed even when congregational size is reduced. The findings may be particularly relevant for understanding retention and group dynamics in small congregations and ethnic congregations in which extended family ties more commonly form the membership base. The results demonstrate the utility of using social network analysis methods to test theoretical predictions drawn from the sociology of religion literature. |
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| ISSN: | 1759-8818 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Sociology of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/socrel/srz036 |