The Emergence and Decline of Southern Baptist Congregations in a Southeastern County, 1784-2011: An Ecological Analysis
Studies of the growth and decline of religious organizations tend to focus on the ability of American religious institutions to adapt within an open market system, but theories of adaptation may overstate the ability of organizations to respond to changes in their environment. Theories of selection,...
| Published in: | Review of religious research |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer
[2018]
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| In: |
Review of religious research
Year: 2018, Volume: 60, Issue: 4, Pages: 455-475 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Südoststaaten, USA
/ Southern Baptist Convention
/ Church congregation
/ History 1784-2011
/ Population ecology
/ Theory of natural selection
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| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy KAH Church history 1648-1913; modern history KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history KBQ North America KDG Free church |
| Further subjects: | B
Population ecology
B religious economies B religious competition B Southern Baptist Convention |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | Studies of the growth and decline of religious organizations tend to focus on the ability of American religious institutions to adapt within an open market system, but theories of adaptation may overstate the ability of organizations to respond to changes in their environment. Theories of selection, on the other hand, emphasize the role environmental forces play in organizational growth and decline. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of an ecological theory of selection for modeling growth and decline in a population of religious organizations. To test this model, I use historical data on a population of Southern Baptist congregations in the southeastern United States from 1784 to 2011. My analyses indicate that the processes of denominational growth and decline are consistent with the expectations of ecological theories of selection. |
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| ISSN: | 2211-4866 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Review of religious research
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s13644-018-0344-7 |