The vitality of religious communities—A contribution model based on the sociological and theological discourse

Zeitschrift für Religion, Gesellschaft und Politik
Miriam Zimmer1, Matthias Sellmann2
1Zentrum für angewandte Pastoralforschung, Katholisch-Theologische Fakultät, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
2Lehrstuhl für Pastoraltheologie, Katholisch-Theologische Fakultät, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany

Tóm tắt

AbstractThe article elaborates a concept of the vitality of religious communities. Defined on the basis of previous research, it enables an identification of the determinants that make a (religious) collective vital. An examination of the theoretical discourse and recent studies on religious vitality reveals two distinct discussions. On the one hand, the sociology of religion that disregards the mesolevel; on the other, theology typically lacks a scientific foundation. This paper integrates the strength of both disciplines: the former’s explicit operationalization and abstract reflection along with the latter’s sensemaking and proximity to the field. In doing so, we provide a definition of the vitality of religious communities on the basis of the discussion of the vitality of species and ecosystems in life science. This definition is further refined with a view to organizational studies. Here, the vitality of religious communities can be described and measured in four dimensions: (operative) functionality, (shared) identity, (situational) performance, and (transformational) impact. Theological discourse and recent research point to four attributes of a (religious) community that are expected to influence vitality: professionalism, spirituality, contextuality and intentionality. Finally, the contribution model brings together the vitality dimensions and its influence factors in a coherent framework, offering concrete hypotheses for further research in both disciplines and guidance for empirical research.

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