Worship Service Attendance Research Articles

Et «makedonsk kall»

A “Macedonian Call”: Clerical perspectives on declining church attendance within the ecclesiological dynamic between folk church and community of faith" The Sunday worship service, in Lutheran ecclesiology, is the place where the Word is proclaimed, and the sacraments are administered. It is the main assembly of the congregation, according to the liturgical ordinance of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Norway. Over the last decades, however, worship service attendance has continuously declined. This article examines the pastors’ perspectives on lower attendance by presenting new empirical material from four group interviews with a total of 16 pastors. The data is viewed theoretically by considering ecclesiological perspectives. The analysis shows that the pastors use the well-known categories of folk church and faith community. While also problematizing these concepts, they experience that normative and descriptive ecclesiologies are somewhat contradictory. The pastors point to fellowship and new relationship-building initiatives as central to congregational life but question whether the Sunday worship service is capable of including such dimensions. Our study emphasizes the necessity of developing strategies that identify and meet local needs for the church’s presence.

The Legacy of Blood Atonement? Gauging Mormon Support for the Death Penalty

American support for the death penalty has declined over time, but conservative religious groups have exhibited more favorable attitudes toward this practice than their mainline religious and secular peers. Scholars have generally overlooked Latter-day Saint (LDS, Mormon) support for capital punishment. However, this faith tradition is a case worthy of careful examination. Historically, LDS leadership was supportive of the death penalty, which was congruent with their teachings on blood atonement, i.e., theological rationales for capital punishment as a just response to murder. However, Mormon leaders have more recently adopted a neutral position toward the death penalty. To what degree might changing social attitudes and flagging LDS leader endorsements of the death penalty have contributed to diminished grassroots Mormon support for capital punishment? This study uses data from the General Social Survey to test three hypotheses: (1) those with an LDS affiliation will exhibit greater support for the death penalty when compared with their non-Mormon peers, including other religious conservatives; (2) LDS support for the death penalty will diminish over time; and (3) LDS support for capital punishment will be bolstered by frequent Mormon worship service attendance. Using cross-tabulations, logistic regression, and time series analyses, the results indicate support for all three hypotheses. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

FAMILY RELIGIOUSNESS, PEER RELIGIOUSNESS, AND RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY SUPPORTIVENESS AS DEVELOPMENTAL CONTEXTS OF ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ADULT RELIGIOUS DEIDENTIFICATION

The purpose of the present study, grounded in relational developmental systems theory, was to use longitudinal data to examine the roles of individual, family, peer, and religious community predictors of religious deidentification in adolescence and young adulthood. The sample included 2,842 youth (ages 13–17) who identified with a religion at the baseline wave of the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). First, Wave 1 individual (worship service attendance, youth group attendance, religious importance, prayer, and doubt), family (parent worship service attendance, parent religious importance, and family religious conversations), peer (number of religious friends, number of friends attending religious youth groups, and friend religious conversations), and religious community (engagement and dialogue) predictors were identified that significantly predicted deidentification by Waves 2 or 3. Second, when comparing Wave 1 individual, family, peer, and religious community scale scores as predictors of Wave 3 deidentification, only individual and family religiousness were significant. Third, we tested a mediation model whereby Wave 2 individual religiousness mediated relations between Wave 1 family, peer, and religious community scale scores and Wave 3 deidentification. All three indirect paths were significant, with the largest effect for family. Thus, individual, family, peer, and religious community factors all play a role in religious deidentification, but the family may be the most salient developmental context of religious development.

COPING BEHAVIORS THAT INCREASE STRESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS

This study examined the efficacy of a series of 28 behaviors (e.g., comfort eating, attending worship services, getting a massage, etc.) in moderating the perception of stress among older adults. First, 28 individual behaviors were assessed to determine whether they buffered or exacerbated the impact of an objective stress measure (i.e., the count of stressful life events) on perceptions of stress (measured using Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale [PSS]). A full sample analysis used data from 1,000 randomly selected U.S. adults age 40 and older, but subsequent analyses explored coping behaviors for two age groups—those age 40 to 59 and those 60 and older. In the full sample analysis, multiple moderating conditions were noted including stress-buffering for worship service attendance, recreational shopping, and getting a massage. Also among the full 40+ sample, stress-exacerbation was noted for social media use and coping by “overreacting to things.” Factor analysis (employing a polychoric correlation matrix) reduced the 28 individual behaviors into 9 clusters comprised of related behaviors and representing a general coping approach. Looking within the age groups, significant stress-buffering was limited to those age 60 and older for two coping approaches—a “Self-Care and Travel” approach and an Inspirational approach (e.g., praying, attending church, etc.). For both age subgroups there was no coping approach, not even the hedonistic “blowing off steam” approach, that was found to exacerbate the impact of stressful life events on the perception of stress.

Processes of Religious and Spiritual Influence in Adolescence: A Systematic Review of 30 Years of Research

This is a systematic review of 30years (1988-2017) of empirical research on processes of religious/spiritual influence in adolescence. We followed a multi-step process that resulted in 241 studies organized according to eight research questions and the corresponding methods and analyses typically used to address them. We coded these studies based on the dimensions of religiosity/spirituality and the youth outcomes involved. In some cases (quantitative studies of mediation and moderation, as well as qualitative studies) we also coded a third process variable. Results of the coding process revealed a number of interesting patterns. First, religiosity/spirituality is generally adaptive for adolescents, protecting them from negative outcomes (e.g., risk behaviors and mental illness), and promoting positive youth development and flourishing. Nevertheless, in some contexts, religiosity/spirituality may be at least partially maladaptive. Second, there is some evidence, from experimental and longitudinal studies, that relations between religiosity/spirituality and adaptive outcomes are causal. Third, there are numerous complex and dynamic processes by which religiosity/spirituality relate to youth outcomes. In terms of mediation studies, the most salient mediating processes seem to involve religiosity/spirituality dimensions, peers, values/attitudes, and social control/norms. Fourth, religiosity/spirituality is multidimensional, involving various interwoven facets at the individual and ecological levels. Private or personal aspects of religiosity/spirituality (e.g., religious/spiritual importance) tend to be more salient predictors of outcomes than public aspects of religiosity/spirituality (e.g., religious worship service attendance). The results of this systematic review point to promising directions for future research. First, more research is needed studying a broader range of dimensions of religiosity/spirituality, processes of influence, and outcomes. In terms of religiosity/spirituality, much of the prior work has focused on overall religiosity/spirituality, and religious/spiritual behaviors (e.g., worship service attendance). In terms of outcomes, the emphasis has been on religiosity/spirituality protecting against maladaptive outcomes (e.g., substance use). Second, more research is needed examining the role of culture, and using more rigorous methods (e.g., experience sampling, experimental design, longitudinal design, or mixed methods). This systematic review provides a detailed analysis of what is known regarding processes of religious/spiritual influence in the lives of adolescents, and hopefully better positions researchers to move the field forward.

Prayer, Meditation, and Anxiety: Durkheim Revisited

Durkheim argued that religion’s emphasis on the supernatural combined with its unique ability to foster strong collective bonds lent it power to confer distinctive social benefits. Subsequent research has confirmed these propositions with respect to religion and mental health. At the same time, meditation has been linked to mental health benefits in intervention-based studies. Our investigation offers a unique test of two comparable inhibitors of anxiety-related symptoms in the general population, namely, prayer versus meditation. Using data from the 2010 wave of the Baylor Religion Survey, we find that frequent communal prayer is correlated with an increased incidence of anxiety-related symptoms whereas worship service attendance is negatively associated with reported anxiety. Attendance also combines with communal prayer to yield anxiety-reducing benefits. Meditation, measured as a dichotomous indicator, is unrelated to reported anxiety in our sample of American adults. Our study underscores the selective efficacy of collective forms of religious expression, and points to several promising directions for future research.

The Interrelation of Prayer and Worship Service Attendance in Moderating the Negative Impact of Life Event Stressors on Mental Well-Being.

The interrelation of worship service attendance and private prayer in moderating the negative impact of life event stressors on mental well-being is examined using hierarchical multiple regressions on a national sample of 2601 Americans. A theoretical model is proposed in which stressful life events are made less distressing under conditions in which exposure to pro-social content at worship services is internalized through frequent private prayer. Interactive models controlling for a block of potential confounds are run to confirm that the stress-moderating effects of worship service attendance are noted only when attendance is complemented by relatively frequent engagement in private prayer.

Remarriage Timing: Does Religion Matter?

Using pooled data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG 2006–2010), we examine the effects of denominational affiliation, worship service attendance, and religious salience on remarriage timing. Survival analyses indicate that both men and women affiliated with conservative Protestant faith traditions are significantly more likely than their unaffiliated and Catholic counterparts to remarry at an accelerated pace following divorce. Results further show that, net of religious affiliation and socio-demographic characteristics, worship service attendance accelerates remarriage timing, whereas the effects of religious salience are weaker or unobserved. These results are largely consistent with prior research on denominational variations in the timing of first marriage and underscore the robust influence of religion on the institution of marriage.

Religion and the Gender Wage Gap: A U.S. State-Level Study

In this paper we investigate the relationship between informal institutions – proxied for by measures of religiosity – and the gap between male and female incomes in the U.S. states, using Pew U.S. Religious Landscape Survey data, and Census Bureau estimates of male and female median incomes. We single out measures of belief (e.g., expressed belief in God; interpretations of scripture) and participation (e.g., worship service attendance; frequency of prayer) as potential determinants of the gender wage gap. After controlling for a number of gender income gap determinants – age, education, marital status, occupation and time in the workforce for female participants – we find that greater belief and belonging are significantly and positively correlated with a state’s median gender income gap. Specifically, a percentage point increase in religiosity (increase in population of believers or that of belonging) is related to a larger gender wage gap by 0.3 percentage points (a 0.10 standard deviation).

Religion and Marriage Timing: A Replication and Extension

Abstract: Previous studies have revealed denominational subculture variations in marriage timing in the U.S. with conservative Protestants marrying at a much younger age than Catholics and the unaffiliated. However, the effects of other religious factors, such as worship service attendance and religious salience, remain overlooked. Informed by a theoretical framework that integrates the denominational subculture variation thesis and the gendered religiosity thesis, this study replicates, updates, and extends previous research by examining the effects of religiosity on the timing of first marriage among 10,403 men and 12,279 women using pooled cross-sectional data from the National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010. Our survival regression models indicate that: (1) consistent with previous research, Protestants in general, and conservative Protestants in particular, marry earlier than the religiously unaffiliated; (2) irrespective of denominational affiliation, increased frequency of worship service attendance decreases age at first marriage for both men and women, whereas religious salience is associated with earlier marriage only for women; (3) among Catholics, as worship service attendance increases, the waiting time to first marriage decreases; and (4) among Protestants, however, worship service attendance decreases age at first marriage for men who are affiliated with mainline and non-denominational Protestant churches, while for women the decrease in age at first marriage associated with worship service attendance is found for those who report a conservative Protestant affiliation. The complex intersections of denominational affiliation, frequency of worship service attendance, religious salience, and gender are discussed.

Religious Worship and Dream Recall: New Results from a Survey of American Adults

This study of 2,992 demographically diverse American adults provides a new empirical view of the relationship between dreams and religion. Participants answered a question about the frequency of their religious worship service attendance, in addition to several questions about their recall of various types of dreams. The results confirm previous research showing that the most religiously observant people in America tend to remember considerably fewer dreams than do the least religiously observant people. This study elaborates on that finding by using word search technology to analyze several hundred dream reports provided by the participants. The results show that in terms of dream content, there is little difference between religiously observant and nonobservant people, other than a higher frequency of Christianity-related words in the dreams of the most religiously observant people. This study gives pastoral caregivers and psychotherapists new insights into the religiously and spiritually meaningful patterns they may encounter in the dreams of their clients.

Church Involvement, Spiritual Growth, Meaning in Life, and Health

The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between involvement in three aspects of congregational life and spiritual growth. In addition, an effort is made to see if spiritual growth may, in turn, affect health. A latent variable model was developed to test the following hypotheses: (1) individuals who attend worship services more often, attend Bible study and prayer group meetings more frequently, and individuals who receive more spiritual support from fellow church members will be more likely to report they have experienced spiritual growth; (2) people who experience more spiritual growth will be more likely to derive a deeper sense of meaning in life; and (3) individuals who have developed a deeper sense of meaning in life will enjoy better health. Data from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey suggests that spiritual support has the stronger relationship with spiritual growth than either worship service attendance or involvement in formal church groups. The findings further reveal that greater spiritual growth is associated with a deeper sense of meaning in life and meaning, in turn, is associated with better health.

Spirituality, Religion, and Clinical Outcomes in Patients Recovering From an Acute Myocardial Infarction

To assess the prospective relationship between spiritual experiences and health in a sample of patients surviving an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with depression or low social support. A subset of 503 patients participating in the enhancing recovery in coronary heart disease (ENRICHD) trial completed a Daily Spiritual Experiences (DSE) questionnaire within 28 days from the time of their AMI. The questionnaire assessed three spirituality variables-worship service/church attendance, prayer/meditation, and total DSE score. Patients also completed the Beck Depression Inventory to assess depressive symptoms and the ENRICHD Social Support Inventory to determine perceived social support. The sample was subsequently followed prospectively every 6 months for an average of 18 months to assess all-cause mortality and recurrent AMI. Of the 503 participants who completed the DSE questionnaire at the time of index AMI, 61 (12%) participants either died or sustained a recurrent MI during the follow-up period. After adjustment for gender, education level, ethnicity, and a composite medical prognosis risk score derived specifically for the ENRICHD trial, we observed no relationship between death or nonfatal AMI and total spirituality as measured by the DSE (p = .446), worship service attendance (p = .120), or frequency of prayer/meditation (p = .679). We found little evidence that self-reported spirituality, frequency of church attendance, or frequency of prayer is associated with cardiac morbidity or all-cause mortality post AMI in patients with depression and/or low perceived support.

Religiosity and Teen Drug Use Reconsidered: A Social Capital Perspective

Although religiosity has often been shown to have a deterrent effect on teen drug use, noteworthy theoretic gaps and contradictory findings have left important questions unanswered. Conceptualizing religion as a measure of social capital and using cross-sectional data from Monitoring the Future (1996), a nationally representative sample of American high school seniors collected annually, this study is designed to shed new light on the relationship between religiosity and drug use among American youth. Levels of teen drug use for three different components of faith-based social capital-exposure to and internalization of religious norms, integration within religious networks, and trust in religious phenomena-are explored with respect to high school seniors' use of alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drugs during the year prior to the survey. In addition, drug use associated with faith-based and secular forms of civic engagement among teens (e.g., participation in religious youth groups vs secular organizations such as sports and school clubs, theistic trust vs secular trust) are compared. Among religiosity variables, integration within congregational networks (i.e., worship service attendance) exhibits the most consistent negative association with youth drug use. Theistic trust is not associated with teen drug use, but secular trust and civic participation in secular organizations are associated with less drug use. Elements of both religious and secular social capital are associated with lower reported drug use, thereby suggesting that multiple avenues for the prevention of teen drug use might be pursued. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The Association Between Spiritual and Religious Involvement and Depressive Symptoms in a Canadian Population

Data from a large epidemiologic survey were examined to determine the relationship of religious practice (worship service attendance), spiritual and religious self-perception, and importance (salience) to depressive symptoms. Data were obtained from 70,884 respondents older than 15 years from the Canadian National Population Health Survey (Wave II, 1996-1997). Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship of the religious/spiritual variables to depressive symptoms while controlling for demographic, social, and health variables. More frequent worship service attendees had significantly fewer depressive symptoms. In contrast, those who stated spiritual values or faith were important or perceived themselves to be spiritual/religious had higher levels of depressive symptoms, even after controlling for potential mediating and confounding factors. It is evident that spirituality/religion has an important effect on depressive symptoms, but this study underscores the complexity of this relationship. Longitudinal studies are needed to help elucidate mechanisms and the order and direction of effects.

The Framing of Contemporary Christian Apostasy on the World Wide Web

This article is a preliminary effort to make conclusions about how apostate religious organizations use the World Wide Web for information dissemination, evangelization, and proselytization. Ten Christian apostate group Web sites were subjected to a frame analysis that focused on perceived intent, protest, expression, justification, response options, and rewards offered. The analysis revealed most sites were perceived to use an information dissemination rather than evangelization or proselytization frame. Response options and rewards were mostly consistent with the expression of, and justification for, apostasy. However, only 2 of the sites framed apostasy at its highest level. Most did not address the critical issue of worship service attendance, and most may put followers in a potentially awkward and ethically inconsistent position by not asking followers to disaffiliate from the opposed religious group while actively seeking followers' disengagement from that group's theology.

Who participates in cardiovascular disease risk factor screenings? Experience with a religious organization-based program.

Adult members who declined participation in cardiovascular disease risk factor screenings offered at religious organizations were randomly selected and asked to participate in screenings at their homes. Relationships between screening participation and sociodemographic, behavioral, and physiological measures were examined. Age, knowledge of cardiovascular disease risk factors, body mass index, current smoking status, previous report of elevated blood pressure, current diastolic blood pressure measurement, frequency of worship service attendance, and residential distance from the religious organization screening site were important predictors of screening response. Those with conspicuous risk factors appeared less likely to initially respond to religious organization site screening invitations.

Sociodemographic characteristics and drinking locations of convicted drunken drivers

The present study utilizes multiple regression analysis to identify relationships between 13 sociodemographic characteristics and the frequency of drinking in seven different types of drinking places among convicted drunken drivers ( N = 6,183). The results indicate that different sociodemographic subgroups of drinking drivers tend to drink in different types of places. Younger respondents were more likely than older respondents to report frequent drinking in away-from-home locations such as friends' homes, bars, parties, cars, and parking lots. The males were more likely than the females to report frequent drinking in cars and parking lots, and unmarried respondents drink at parties and in bars more frequently than married respondents. Education, race, and the frequency of worship service attendance are also found to be important predictors of drinking locations.