How Congregational Size and Social Networks Shape Attenders' Community Involvement

• In Event: 165 - Section on Sociology of Religion Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 04. Religion, Philanthropy, and Civic Participation

Abstract

Past research that examines the relationship between religion and community involvement has focused on the different levels of community involvement among religious traditions and on how congregational involvement and religious social networks relate with community involvement. This study focuses on attenders of religious congregations and examines: 1) how congregation size relates with community involvement and 2) whether embeddedness in congregational social networks moderates this relationship. Using a sample of attenders and their congregations from the 2008/2009 U.S. Congregational Life Survey, a national survey representative of American congregations, this study examines the relationship between congregational size and community involvement and the cross-level interaction between congregation size and social embeddedness. Results suggest that attenders of large congregations are less likely to participate in charitable community groups and that this relationship is stronger for attenders with low levels of social embeddedness but weaker for attenders with high levels of social embeddedness.

Author

• Jennifer McClure, Pennsylvania State University