Major Projects
Gatherings of Hope report released from the Kent County Congregations Study
Order bound copies from the Calvin College Campus Store. |
Our report on the Kent County Congregations Study of 2007 is now online! The report, entitled Gatherings of Hope: How Religious Congregations Contribute to the Quality of Life in Kent County is downloadable now in PDF format and bound, full-color copies are available for purchase from the Calvin Campus Store. As reported on Sunday in the Grand Rapids Press, the KCCS is the most comprehensive study of religious congregations and how they contribute to the quality of life in Kent County. Inspired by the philanthropic vision of Doug and Maria DeVos and funded by their foundation, the project affirms the need for educational, community and religious sectors to collaborate in efforts to improve the lives of children and their families. These major findings of the report are found in the Executive Summary:
Gatherings of Hope is being distributed today to over 200 religious and community leaders at the Kent County Religious Leaders Symposium, held at the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville. |
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“Gatherings of Hope” report from the KCCS due out November 10
[UPDATE: see the main weblog post on this report for a downloadable copy of the report.]
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A report on the Kent County Congregations Study of 2007 is ready for the presses! The report, entitled “Gatherings of Hope: How Religious Congregations Contribute to the Quality of Life in Kent County,” will be released on November 10 at the Kent County Religious Leaders Symposium at the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville. The report will be available to the general public via the web shortly thereafter [update: the report is now available, see this post!]. The KCCS is the most comprehensive study of religious congregations and how they contribute to the quality of life in Kent County. Inspired by the philanthropic vision of Doug and Maria DeVos, the project affirms the need for educational, community and religious sectors to collaborate in efforts to improve the lives of children and their families. Figure 6 from the report (below) shows that the 583 participating congregations reported 443,586 "people associated in any way," a substantial proportion of Kent County's 600,000 residents, even after allowing for overlap between congregations and visitors from outside the county. Congregations are a potentially powerful source of volunteer mobilization for the welfare of the needy, and the report seeks to document ways in which we can begin to capitalize on this power. ![]() |
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KCCS Progress
With over 500 interviews completed, we have transitioned to the next phase of the Kent County Congregations Study. Over the next few months, we’ll be busy analyzing the data and organizing key findings for our reports. We also plan on having a public event later this year to celebrate the completion of the project and share some of the findings.
KCCS is as a study of educational and social service provision by religious congregations in Kent County, Michigan. Many of the congregations we interviewed reported involvement in a variety of programs aimed at benefiting their communities.
We used several different measures in an attempt to document these programs, and one item that helped us greatly was our program type list. While not exhaustive, this list contained many types of programs that congregations in other similar studies have mentioned.

If you have questions about this study, please contact the .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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Prof. Corwin Smidt and student to publish paper on political cues during worship
Political science professor Corwin Smidt and senior Calvin College student Brian Schaap have co-authored a paper which will be published in a future issue of the Review of Religious Research (RRR). The paper is titled "Public Worship and Public Engagement: Pastoral Cues within the Context of Worship Services". An advance PDF copy of the unpublished working paper is available.
![]() Dr. Corwin Smidt | ![]() Brian Schaap |
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CRC 150th Anniversary Survey
The CSR is well into administering a completely online Christian Reformed Church 150th Anniversary Survey. More than 1400 responses have already been received!
The CSR would like to thank all who have participated as well as the survey coordinators who have been invaluable in recruiting participants.
Please follow this link to fill out the survey if you are part of a CRC congregation and would like to participate.
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