The Optimal Level of Strictness and Congregational Growth

Beginning with Kelley's and Iannaccone's foundational studies, scholars have examined how strictness impacts congregational outcomes. This paper seeks to further develop the strict church thesis by examining Iannaccone's concept of "optimal level of strictness", an idea that...

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Published in:Religions (Basel, Switzerland ) Switzerland ), 2014-09, Vol.5 (3), p.703-719
Main Author: Ferguson, Todd
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
congregational growth
niches
Protestant Christianity
Protestantism
quantitative methodology
Religious congregations
Religious organizations
Religious studies
strict church thesis
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description Beginning with Kelley's and Iannaccone's foundational studies, scholars have examined how strictness impacts congregational outcomes. This paper seeks to further develop the strict church thesis by examining Iannaccone's concept of "optimal level of strictness", an idea that there are limits to strictness. Using Stark and Finke's theoretical framework of religious niches and data from the 2005 Baylor Religion Survey and the 2000 Faith Communities Today survey, I find that only prohibitions that are in line with a congregation's religious niche have an impact on growth. To be beneficial, prohibitions must match the pool of potential members' preferences.
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subjects congregational growth
niches
Protestant Christianity
Protestantism
quantitative methodology
Religious congregations
Religious organizations
Religious studies
strict church thesis
title The Optimal Level of Strictness and Congregational Growth
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