Religious Organizations

Abstract

This article distinguishes the following three types of religious organizations: congregations, denominational organizations (religious organizations that are not congregations but that mainly produce religion), and religious nonprofits (religious organizations that work mainly in functional fields other than religion). For each type of religious organization, I discuss the key questions we might ask, the current data resources relevant for answering these key questions, and the appropriate action for advancing empirical research. I also describe the political economy of data production on religious organizations.