Maybe less is more : congregation size and social embeddedness in the age of the megachurch.

A growing body of research documents the rise of large congregations, their success in appealing to younger, more diverse demographics, and what these patterns say about the religious landscape more broadly. A commonly assumed, yet underdeveloped, aspect of this literature is the relationship between congregation size and social embeddedness. Using multilevel data from the 2001 U.S. Congregational Life Survey (USCLS), I analyze the relationship between weekly church attendance and congregational belonging and friendship, and how these relationships vary across religious traditions. Results indicate a negative relationship between congregation size and social embeddedness for all traditions except Black Protestants, who display the opposite pattern. For other traditions, meanwhile, in the largest congregations, the negative relationship attenuates for belonging, but not for friendship. These findings suggest some limitations to prevailing narratives about church growth and highlight the importance of accounting for religious tradition in future studies on congregation size and social dynamics.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Peterson, Riley S. (Riley Scott), 2000-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Uecker, Jeremy.

• Congregations.
• Social cohesion.
• Religious tradition.
• Black Protestantism.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/13810

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/13810