Congregations and Communities

Abstract

Week after week, in cities, suburbs, small towns, and countryside byways, more Americans gather in religious congregations than in any other voluntary association or local organization. In mosques, synagogues, ashrams, temples, and sanctuaries, in small house meetings and in large arena-style auditoriums, about 60 percent of American adults attend a service within a religious congregation in a given year. About 25 percent of adults attend a service in any given week (Chaves, 2004). Fully half of Americans hold memberships in a local religious congregation (Finke & Stark, 1992).