Changing Worship Practices in American Congregations

Worship is the core activity of American congregations and the primary way people experience religion collectively in the United States. We use data from the National Congregations Study (NCS), notably including data from the fourth wave, collected in 2018-19, to examine two key trends in worship pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Roso, Joseph (Author) ; Chaves, Mark 1960- (Author) ; Holleman, Anna (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell [2020]
In: Journal for the scientific study of religion
Year: 2020, Volume: 59, Issue: 4, Pages: 675-684
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B USA / Denomination (Religion) / Worship service / Religious change
IxTheo Classification:AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
AG Religious life; material religion
CB Christian life; spirituality
KBQ North America
Further subjects:B Worship
B Congregations
B National Congregations Study
B Technology
B Ritual
B religious trends
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:Worship is the core activity of American congregations and the primary way people experience religion collectively in the United States. We use data from the National Congregations Study (NCS), notably including data from the fourth wave, collected in 2018-19, to examine two key trends in worship practices among American religious congregations. First, the trend toward more informal and enthusiastic worship identified in earlier NCS surveys continues into 2019. Showing no signs of having reached a plateau, a more informal worship style has increased in prevalence across every major American religious tradition. Second, recently developed communication technologies have permeated congregations’ worship services in ways that change the collective experience. Collected on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, NCS-IV data on worship and technology provide a baseline for future examinations of worship changes caused by the pandemic, and a window into congregations’ technological preparedness for a world in which it is not safe to gather.
ISSN:1468-5906
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the scientific study of religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/jssr.12682