Integrated Sundays: An Exploratory Study into the Formation of Multiracial Churches

Abstract

Americans are less likely to develop primary relationships with members of different races than with members of their own race. Thus, organizations in which Americans develop their primary friendships are highly likely to be racially segregated. In a society in which primary interracial relationships are uncommon, multiracial churches are anomalous organizations. The purpose of this paper is to explore how multiracial churches may form. We utilize factor analysis based upon a national sample of multiracial churches, found through The Congregational Project (TCP), to discover the pathways used to create racially integrated congregations. This analysis describes four possible pathways: leadership, evangelical, demographic, and network. Qualitative research provides a case study for each of these dimensions. Future theoretical work is necessary for understanding the development of these pathways. Social scientists need to conduct more empirical research to determine if the origination of multiracial churches is linked to enduring characteristics of those organizations.