De Facto Congregationalism' and Mormon Missionary Outreach
An Ethnographic Case Study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2271304 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rick Phillips (0009-0009-8672-5080, Phillips University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 628-643 |
| Publication date | 2008-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-8294 • E-ISSN: 1468-5906 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1468-5906.2008.00431.x |
| OpenAlex | W2152589335 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 29 |
A number of theorists in the sociology of religion hold that denominations in the United States have remained vital by decentralizing power, and shifting control from central hierarchies to individual congregations: a strategy dubbed 'de facto congregationalism.' However, changes in the polity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS, or Mormon, Church) contravene this trend. Unlike most denominations, Mormonism-a vital faith by all accounts-has centralized its authority and standardized its programs in recent decades. This article investigates whether the logic of de facto congregationalism applies to Mormonism. From a case study of missionary outreach in an LDS congregation, I investigate how mandates from the church's central headquarters are interpreted and implemented at the grassroots level. My findings show that the church's centralized polity may hinder the functioning of Mormon congregations outside traditional strongholds in Utah and the Intermountain West-a finding consistent with the logic of de facto congregationalism
De facto · Ethnography · Faith · Grassroots · Outreach · Political science · Politics · Polity · Power (physics) · Sociology · Theology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Anthropology · Law · Mormonism, Religion, and History · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions
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| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,23 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2021 (9) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |