From Denominationalism to Market Standards: How Does the Religious Market Affect Authority Relations in Protestant Congregations?
For decades, scholars of religion have shared the diagnosis that the Protestant field in the U.S. is transformed into a religious market. We use the concept of "competing institutional logics" in order to study the changing legitimation of authority structures in two Protestant megachurche...
| Published in: | Research in the social scientific study of religion |
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| Authors: | ; ; ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2022
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| In: |
Research in the social scientific study of religion
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| Further subjects: | B
History of religion studies
B Religious sociology B Social sciences B Religionspsycholigie B Religionswissenschaften B Religion & Gesellschaft B Vergleichende Religionswissenschaft & Religionswissenschaft |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | For decades, scholars of religion have shared the diagnosis that the Protestant field in the U.S. is transformed into a religious market. We use the concept of "competing institutional logics" in order to study the changing legitimation of authority structures in two Protestant megachurches - one from an Episcopal tradition, one claiming no denominational affiliation. The logic of denominationalism competes with the religious market logic in the sense that both serve as cultural models in the broader institutional environment of the congregation. The institutional logic of the denomination is shaped by a dual structure of tradition and agency. In contrast, the market logic relies on the religious idea of "church growth". The central mechanism of the market is the exchange relation, in which consumers exchange their commitment (time or money) with the religious goods supplied by congregations. The analysis of the two cases shows that, with the rise of the market logic, the legitimation of authority through denominational traditions erodes. In addition, by referring to "church growth" as a religious idea, the non-denominational megachurch integrates rational organizational means into their organizational structure and adapts to market standards. The Episcopal megachurch, in contrast, remains shaped by a dual structure: It has to balance Episcopalian traditions on the one hand and the expectations of an increasingly individualized and non-traditional audience on the other hand. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Research in the social scientific study of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/9789004505315_026 |