The Influence of Economic and Demographic Factors on Rural Church Viability

Rathge, Richard W.; Goreham, Gary A.

doi:10.2307/1387252

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Congregations in rural neighborhoods report more growth relative to urban congregations. This last finding could reflect growth due to consolidation of small congregations, which was the conclusion of Rathge and Goreham () for their finding that rural counties with larger average church sizes produce fewer new churches. On the other hand, Neitz () notes that rural congregations often are resistant to merging, which might raise questions about such an explanation, and there is anecdotal evidence of rural congregations growing through innovation and recruitment (Goldstein and Garfield ).…”

Section: Leadership Transition and Membership Declinementioning

confidence: 67%

Decline and Conflict: Causes and Consequences of Leadership Transitions in Religious Congregations

Dollhopf

Scheitle

2013

Scientific Study of Religion

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Changes in leadership can be difficult for any organization. Leadership transitions in religious congregations might be especially challenging given the personal relationships involved and the spiritual dimension of a leader's position. This complexity often makes it difficult to separate the reasons for the transition from the impacts of the transition. For example, loss of membership and congregational conflict can be both a cause and a consequence of leadership change. Using the 2006-2007 National Congregations Study, this research explores how membership decline and congregational conflict are associated with leadership transitions in religious congregations. Although we find that leadership transitions are associated with conflict and membership decline, we also find that certain factors, such as whether the leader comes from within the congregation and context of the transition, moderate these associations.

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Section: Leadership Transition and Membership Declinementioning

confidence: 67%

Decline and Conflict: Causes and Consequences of Leadership Transitions in Religious Congregations

Dollhopf

Scheitle

2013

Scientific Study of Religion

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“…In addition, traditional systems of support have declined as (a) younger rural family members have moved to more urban areas for economic opportunities (Broomhall & Johnson, 1994;Keller & Murray, 1982;Rodgers & Rodgers, 1997); (b) informal community supports, such as those found in churches, have increasingly been faced with smaller numbers, older and more dependent members, and decreasing monetary support (Rathge & Goreham, 1989); and (c) local governments have faced revenue loss because of shrinking tax bases (Bull, 1998;Hattery & Koch, 1995;Hill, 1988;Reed, 1992). In contrast to prevailing perceptions of integrative informal exchanges, Hofferth and Iceland (1998) recently demonstrated that rural residents, rather than receiving assistance from multiple types of people in their informal networks, were more likely to exchange support exclusively among family members compared with their urban counterparts.…”

Section: Rural Residence and Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rural Mental Health and Elders: Historical Inequities

Lawrence

McCulloch

2001

J Appl Gerontol

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Although there have been unexpected and unintended consequences-and what many might consider inadequate care-America has consistently attempted to care for its mentally ill. This article provides a historical review of the pathways this care has taken, with particular focus on the persistent inequities older and rural adults experience with regard to mental health care. The care of people with mental illness has taken different forms as social, political, and economic environments have changed. The persistent social construction of myths about aging in rural areas and ageist biases necessitate greater advocacy if more equitable care is to be provided. This will unquestionably involve addressing the myths surrounding rural life, removing the stigma attached to mental illness, becoming aware of the biases inherent in current service delivery systems, and developing new and different models for the delivery of care that is appropriate to diverse, rural settings.

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“…However, estimating which forces encouraged effective evangelism is not very different from estimating which factors most directly influence contemporary church growth, a question with which sociologists of religion have grappled since the late 1970s. Church-growth specialists separated internal factors (or institutional variables) from external factors (or contextual variables) and then determined which set of variables had the greatest impact on whether congregations attracted or lost members (for example, see Hoge and Roozen 1979;McKinney and Hoge 1983;Rathge and Goreham 1989;Hadaway 1991). Similarly, demand-and supply-side theories can be tested by seeing which social factors were associated with evangelistic success and failure at the congregational level.…”

Section: Evaluating Demand-side and Supply-side Interpretationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supply-side and Demand-side Revivalism?

Johnson¹

1995

Social Science History

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The revivalism connected with what we now call the Second Great Awakening was well established on the American landscape by the 1830s. Having observed the impact of camp meetings and itinerant preachers, particularly in the Far West, Alexis de Tocqueville noted that, “Here and there, in the midst of American Society, you meet with men, full of a fanatical and almost wild enthusiasm” (1847: 142). Yet Tocqueville's discomfort with frontier revivalism was hardly universal. By the late 1820s, many Americans recognized the recruiting success of western Baptists, Methodists, and Christians, and young men like Charles Finney modified their camp-meeting techniques for use in eastern churches. Although his methods shocked many hard-core Calvinists, Finney's New Measures soon overwhelmed the quiet, traditionalist revivalism of Nathaniel Taylor, Asahel Nettleton, and Lyman Beecher. As Finney and his associates gained wider acceptance throughout the nation, they also moved the Second Great Awakening from its formative stage, described by Nathan Hatch (1989), to a mainstream stage described by William McLoughlin (1978), Paul Johnson (1979), and numerous other historians (e.g., Ryan 1983, Roth 1987, C. Johnson 1989).

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The Influence of Economic and Demographic Factors on Rural Church Viability

Cited by 6 publications

References 9 publications

Decline and Conflict: Causes and Consequences of Leadership Transitions in Religious Congregations

Decline and Conflict: Causes and Consequences of Leadership Transitions in Religious Congregations

Rural Mental Health and Elders: Historical Inequities

Supply-side and Demand-side Revivalism?

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