The Effect of Participation in Congregational Structures on Church Attendance

Abstract

The structure of congregations that college students attended prior to college is examined for effect upon church attendance rates while in college. Specifically, the division of labor in the congregation was measured as was also the extent to which the individual held positions in the division of labor. The findings reveal that the division of labor itself does not affect attendance rate. However, holding positions in the division of labor does have some effect on the attendance rate in college even when rate of high school church attendance is controlled. In comparing positions held in the division of labor with participation in church sponsored youth activities, a greater effect on church attendance was derived from the holding of positions in the congregational division of labor. A multitude of publications as well as multi-million dollar expenditures on college campuses attest to the concern of American churches for the religious commitment of college students. The number of campus ministers employed throughout the country further supports the contention that the religious participation of college students has a high priority in the goals of American churches. Hammand and Mitchell (1965), for example, found in 1963 the names and addresses of 1,300 full-time Protestant campus ministers, probably a conservative figure due to inadequate records. In the same decade Havens (1963) and Feldman (1969) published surveys of empirical research on college student religion. Their work indicates that nearly all research has focused on the effect of college on student religion. The failure of such studies to, establish that college itself has an effect on student religion led Demerath and Lutterman (1969) to conclude that differences in participation of college students in religious activity are a result of "differential recruitment rather than differential impact of factors in the college environment."