Religious Market Competition and Clergy Salary

Evidence from SBC Congregations in the South

Bibliographic Data

ID2802115
AuthorsMichelle W Trawick (Western Kentucky University), Stephen E Lile (Western Kentucky University, corresponding author)
Year2007
Volume66
Issue4
Pages747-763
Publication date2007-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Economics and Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9246 • E-ISSN: 1536-7150
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1536-7150.2007.00538.x
OpenAlexW2079054724
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited21

We utilize a rich and unique data source covering 13,825 Southern Baptist Convention churches in seven Southern states to test the impact of religious market competition, or pluralism, on clergy salary. We link county-level religious market and socioeconomic data to the county in which each church is located. Two measures of religious output market are used. One is a narrow output market definition calculated using only SBC churches. The other is a more broadly defined measure calculated using 132 Judeo-Christian denominations. Using regression analysis, we conclude that greater concentration among Southern Baptist Churches' members within a given county area has a positive, and statistically significant, impact on Southern Baptist clergy salaries, while greater concentration among other denominations has no impact on Southern Baptist clergy salaries. Most importantly, we show that Southern Baptist Churches exhibit predictable economic behavior despite the ethereal nature of the product they provide

Competition (biology) · Convention · Demographic economics · Economics · Market competition · Market economy · Pluralism (philosophy) · Political science · Religious organization · Religious pluralism · Salary · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Demography · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development

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