Religious Capital Specificity: Predicting Member Retention
Most research on congregational membership dynamics focuses on recruitment or commitment with considerably less attention paid to congregational or denominational exit. I propose that human capital theory, typically used to theorize employee turnover, can also predict membership turnover in voluntar...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[2019]
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| In: |
Interdisciplinary journal of research on religion
Year: 2019, Volume: 15, Pages: 1-31 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Religious community
/ Membership administration
/ Social capital (Sociology)
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| IxTheo Classification: | KBQ North America KDA Church denominations RG Pastoral care |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei registrierungspflichtig) |
| Summary: | Most research on congregational membership dynamics focuses on recruitment or commitment with considerably less attention paid to congregational or denominational exit. I propose that human capital theory, typically used to theorize employee turnover, can also predict membership turnover in voluntary associations, including religious ones. Members in voluntary associations learn their association's organizational culture, knowledge of which is a form of capital that makes participation in the organization more enjoyable and thereby increases an individual's likelihood of remaining with the organization. Because some organizations have similar cultures, organizational cultural knowledge may be transferable to other organizations. I argue that individuals who have more organizational cultural knowledge specific to their organization should be less likely to leave, because they maximize their capital by remaining where it can be used. To test these hypotheses, I use survey data from current and past members of twelve congregations. The findings support the hypotheses and contribute to research on religious capital and member retention. |
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| ISSN: | 1556-3723 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Interdisciplinary journal of research on religion
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