Fewer Congregations are Now Completely White ~ Praxis Habitus - On Race Religion & Culture

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Fewer Congregations are Now Completely White

The Chicago Sun-Times summarizes a study from the journal Sociology of Religion: A Quarterly Review: 

The National Congregations Study finds that 14 percent of primarily white congregations reported no minorities in their midst last year, compared with 20 percent in 1998.  

More details:
  • The percentage of primarily white congregations reporting at least some blacks rose from 27 percent in 1998 to 36 percent.
  • Those reporting some Hispanics rose from 24 percent to 32 percent.
  • Worship is also "more informal and more enthusiastic by every measure," Prof. Mark Chaves says, with more shouting, clapping and hands raised overhead in praise.
  • Use of drums in worship jumped 70 percent from 1998.
The article provides a quick summary of this important finding for those who want to know more about racial diversity in America's churches.

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