Congregations in America, Part 1

Congregations have been called the “basic unit” and “bedrock” of American religious life (Chaves et al., 1999; Warner, 1994). As one group of sociologists (Chaves et al., 1999, p. 458) summarized:

“[Congregations] are the primary site of religious ritual activity, they provide an organizational model followed even by religious groups new to this country, they provide sociability and community for many, they offer opportunities for political action and voluntarism, they foster religious identities through education and practice, and they engage in a variety of community and social activities.”

This learning module will explore a nationally representative survey of congregations in the United States to learn more about this central feature of American Religion. This module is the first part of a two-part module.