
Why Do People Go To Church? What About A Congregation Attracts New Members? What Is It That Draws Women And Men Differently Into Diverse Types Of Congregations? Getting To Church Assesses The Deeply Personal And Gendered Narratives Around How Women And Men Move Toward Identifying With Three Very Different Christian Congregations: One Orthodox, One Conservative, And One Mainline. Drawing On Extensive Research And Ranging Across Layers Of Congregational History, Leadership, Architecture, New Member Process, Programs, And Service Ministries, Sally Gallagher Explores Trajectories Of Joining, As Well As Membership Loss And Change Over A Seven-year Period. By Following Both Those Who Join A Community And Those Who Explore But Choose Not To, Gallagher Avoids The Methodological Limitations Of Other Studies And Assesses The Degree To Which The Spaces, People, Programs, And Doctrines Within Distinctive Traditions Draw Women And Men Toward Affiliation And Involvement. Getting To Church Demonstrates That Women Are Attracted To Specific Doctrines And Ideas, Opportunities For Individual Reflection, Experience And Expanded Personal Agency; While Men Find In These Congregations A Sense Of Community Within Which They Experience Greater Connection With Other Men, Appreciate Beauty, And Yield To Something Greater Than Themselves. Drawing On Extensive Field Work, Personal Interviews, And Focus Groups, Getting To Church Challenges Extant Theories Of Gender And Religious Involvement.
This book investigates the underlying factors that influence how individuals, specifically men and women, choose to join or leave diverse Christian congregations. Sally K. Gallagher, a sociologist specializing in gender and religious life, utilizes a longitudinal seven-year study to examine the intersection of personal identity and institutional structure. The work argues that gendered experiences significantly shape the trajectory of religious affiliation, challenging existing sociological theories regarding why people commit to specific faith communities.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars in the field of sociology of religion recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of congregational dynamics and gendered religious participation. Readers frequently note the balance between rigorous qualitative research and accessible prose, making it a useful resource for both academic researchers and congregational leaders.
Page Count:
240
Publication Date:
2017-08-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press, Incorporated
ISBN-10:
0190239697
ISBN-13:
9780190239695
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