Center for Social Research

Christian Reformed Church congregant survey report published

CSR has just released our report on the 2007-2008 "CRC 150th Anniversary Survey," titled Spiritual and Social Trends and Patterns in the Christian Reformed Church in North America. The report was co-authored with our esteemed "director emeritus" Rodger Rice. We all benefitted from tremendous support and cooperation from dozens of churches and the denominational leadership of the Christian Reformed Church in North America.

The report's main sections cover over-time trends from CRC surveys dating back to 1987; measures and explanations of congregational health; factors related to generous, stewardship-oriented giving to the church; and an analysis of respondents' comments.

The following resources are available:

• The CRCNA denominational research page, including coverage of this report.
• Full-color PDF of the 52-page report.
• The original online survey in English, Spanish and Korean.
• A full-text English version of the survey in Microsoft Word (largely unformatted).
• The original survey entry page and respondent FAQ and the survey coordinator information.
• A sample of the report format provided to all churches with at least 20 respondents (the actual church's name is redacted).

Here's a sample of the report's analysis, from Figure 13 on page 22 of the report. It shows the distribution of congregational health measures for churches with at least 20 respondents, sorted from healthiest to least healthy. Each colored square is a particular respondent's score on a highly reliable scale rating the congregation's health on 24 items representing 11 areas. The chart shows that there is substantial internal variation within churches, no matter how healthy they are--even the church with the healthiest score has some relatively disappointed congregants, and even the least healthy church has some fairly sanguine members.

Image created in Tableau 5.0.

“Responding to Neighborhood Change: CRC Congregations in Southeast Grand Rapids, 1970-2000”

How do congregations from a white ethnic denomination respond to growing urban diversity? Sociology professors Dr. Mark Mulder, Calvin College, and Dr. Kevin Dougherty, Baylor University, examined 30 years worth of change (1970-2000) in 14 Christian Reformed congregations in Southeast Grand Rapids, Michigan. They tracked neighborhood composition, residential patterns of congregation members, and congregation membership totals. As white residents declined in urban neighborhoods, congregations from this historically Dutch denomination had difficulty sustaining themselves as neighborhood churches.

CSR and Calvin’s Dept. of Sociology and Social Work will co-sponsor a talk by Drs. Mulder and Dougherty, in which they will discuss how congregations respond to neighborhood change.

Thursday April 23, 2009
7:00 p.m.
Calvin College Meeter Center Lecture Hall

The image below shows the increasing radius of members’ residences at one congregation: 

         

KCCS presentation to religious leaders

November 10 was a great day. About 150 religious leaders from 72 diverse congregations in Kent County gathered with other civic, community and academic leaders at the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville for the Kent County Religious Leaders Symposium. Many participants have suggested further meetings to keep energy high, and efforts to fulfill this wish are under way.

Thanks to Calvin student videographer Kyle Berkompas for recording the event.

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Subdivided by Faith? Anti-Urban Bias, Geographical Habits, and Theological Influences

CSR's faculty Fellows for 2006-2008, Drs. Mark Mulder of Sociology and James K.A. Smith of Philosophy, will present the findings from their study "Subdivided by Faith." In a previous landmark study, Divided by Faith, Michael Emerson and Christian Smith articulated the ways in which evangelical spirituality and practice actually contributed to the racialization and segregation of American culture - the very antithesis of the picture of the redeemed community from every nation, tribe, people and language (Rev. 7:9).

Drs. Mulder and Smith's study seeks to launch a correlate (and supplementary) initiative that considers whether evangelicals tend to exhibit an anti-urban bias that fosters a negative view of urban life, and thus contributes to the growth of suburban and exurban social arrangements. And if this is the case, what are the factors of evangelical theology and spirituality that might lead to this correlation? Exploring a relationship between evangelical spirituality and geographical habits requires both a nuanced understanding of theology (particularly ecclesiology), as well as the rigor of social scientific analysis. The "Subdivided by Faith" study seeks to embody a theologically-informed sociology and a sociologically-accountable theology.

Meeter Center Lecture Hall February 26, 2009 3:30 p.m Refreshments Provided

Gatherings of Hope report released from the Kent County Congregations Study

Download the report (PDF, 100pp., 4.7Mb) 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: Kent County is an unusually religious community. Compared to congregations across the country, Kent County residents are significantly more likely to attend religious services. Kent County congregations are larger in size, have more leaders, are better funded, and are more likely to have participated in or supported a social service program. Hundreds of congregations are located in areas of poverty and great need. Compared to majority White congregations, Black and Hispanic congregations in the county average three to four times the proportion of people with household incomes under $25,000. Local congregations transfer $75.6 million annually to denominations and to international, domestic and county aid and missions—but only 14 percent is clearly designated for Kent County. Worship services in Kent County take place in 28 different languages, reflecting cultural and ethnic diversity. At times multiple languages are spoken in the same congregation. Religious attendance is strongly associated with service to others. Almost 5,200 people from Kent County congregations—including paid staff and volunteers—participate in community service activities. Congregation leaders spend time worth $8.8 million annually on civic and social efforts. Congregations supply 2,827 volunteers for educational programs, but only a third of congregations report any involvement with public schools. Kent County congregations offer higher numbers of social service programs than comparable national averages—2,338 programs in all. Religious participation is not required by 70 percent of these programs. Other institutions would have to generate from $95 million to $118 million to replace the services and programs that Kent County congregations provide annually in their community-serving ministries. 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.