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Exploring the Attraction of Local Congregations to Community Organizing

Wheaton College

This article explores why certain churches have become engaged in local faith-based community organizing at a time when the majority of congregations are not politically active and many of their denominational lobbying offices have come under heavy fire. It is based on interviews with the pastors of 15 congregations actively engaged in faith-based community organizing in three cities. The results suggest that community organizing fits into congregations’ localized priorities, with the majority of the pastors expressing primarily local concerns. Organizing has led to tangible community improvements, especially within poorer communities that are often excluded from professionalized forms of civic engagement. It has strengthened congregations’ social service efforts, which appear to be more extensive than is the norm. However, the most frequently cited benefit was the creation of relational bonds among diverse congregations.

Key Words: urban churches • faith based • community organizing • civic engagement

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Vol. 33, No. 4, 585-605 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0899764004269147


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