An international survey of congregations and worshipers: methodology and basic comparisons

Bruce, Deborah; Sterland, Samuel J. R.; Brookes, Norman E.; Escott, Phillip

doi:10.1080/13617670600594145

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 1 publication

(1 reference statement)

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“…This survey was conducted by mail with a sample of religious congregations in the United States and their members in April, 2001. Full methodological details are provided by Bruce, Sterland, Brookes, and Escott (2006). The NCLS consisted of two components: a congregation profile filled out by a key informant in the organization such as the minister or church administrator, and a survey of attendees, which was distributed to individuals attending worship services during a single particular day selected by the congregation.…”

Section: Methods Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Fitting in with the flock: Social attractiveness as a mechanism for well‐being in religious groups

Hayward

Elliott

2008

Euro J Social Psych

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For most people, religion is practiced and experienced within a social group of believers who interact regularly. Yet the role of social psychological intergroup processes has largely been ignored with respect to religious phenomena. The present study explores social attraction as a mechanism by which religious groups affect the psychological well-being of their members. Data were taken from a large survey of the members of 411 religious congregations in the United States. Linear mixed modeling analyses were conducted predicting two aspects of well-being in the religious context from a range of variables at the levels of the individual, of the group, and of individual-group fit. Fit measures between individual characteristics and norms within congregations were found to be significant predictors of well-being for a variety of measures across domains of demographics, religious beliefs, religious behavior, and group integration. These results support the view that the intragroup process of social attraction is a mechanism by which people obtain some benefits from belonging to religious groups.

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Section: Methods Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Fitting in with the flock: Social attractiveness as a mechanism for well‐being in religious groups

Hayward

Elliott

2008

Euro J Social Psych

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“…In 2001 worshipers in a national random sample of US congregations completed surveys during religious services (Bruce et al, 2006a). All worshipers 15 years of age and over answered more than 50 questions about themselves (e.g.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The gender ratio in the pews: consequences for congregational vitality

Woolever¹,

Bruce

Wulff

et al. 2006

Journal of Beliefs & Values

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“…Thus, individual responses are nested within congregations, making the data structure multilevel. Full methodological details for the data collection process are described in Bruce, Sterland, Brookes, and Escott (2006). In the current study, only congregations that completed the congregation profile were included in the analysis.…”

Section: Methods Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Interpersonal Differences Within Religious Communities: A Group Actor-Partner Interdependence Model of U.S. Congregations

Meagher

2015

The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion

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This study examined how the composition of religious communities influences the spiritual outcomes of members. The U.S. Congregational Life Survey was analyzed using the group actorpartner interdependence model, an analysis that assesses how individual-level outcomes are influenced by (a) the actor's characteristics, (b) the characteristics of other congregants, (c) the relational demography of the actor, and (d) the degree that other congregants differ among themselves. This model, including both surface-level (e.g., demographic) and deep-level (e.g., theological belief) attributes, allowed for the estimation of distinct effects for actor and group similarity, which have been confounded in prior research. Relational demography was found to be positively related to one's needs being met on nearly all measured items. In contrast, a lack of diversity in terms of deep-level constructs (e.g., theological belief and worship preference) predicted less belonging and less satisfaction. These results suggest that religious communities may offer an important setting to benefit from exposure to varied beliefs and values.If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20) NIV) Social involvement in a religious community has long been proposed to play a critical role in the formation of individual-level beliefs (Durkheim, 1912(Durkheim, /1926, as well as being a strong Correspondence should be sent to Benjamin R. Meagher,

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An international survey of congregations and worshipers: methodology and basic comparisons

Cited by 19 publications

References 1 publication

Fitting in with the flock: Social attractiveness as a mechanism for well‐being in religious groups

Fitting in with the flock: Social attractiveness as a mechanism for well‐being in religious groups

The gender ratio in the pews: consequences for congregational vitality

The Effects of Interpersonal Differences Within Religious Communities: A Group Actor-Partner Interdependence Model of U.S. Congregations

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