Introduction to the Hartford Report

The wellbeing of every communitydepends on harnessing the contributions ofits citizens. Sustaining viable communitiesrequires places where people can gather,work together, and learn to trust oneanother – where we generate what RobertPutnam has called “social capital.”1 Wedepend on the neighborhood associationsand political action groups, parentassociations and leagues of civil rightsactivists, as well as the churches,synagogues, and mosques that provideplaces of concern, belonging and action.This is a report on the work being done bysuch religious organizations and theircommunity partners in Hartford.

In 1997, the Hartford Institute for ReligionResearch launched the “OrganizingReligious Work” project in an effort todocument and better understand whatpeople of faith are doing in theircommunities and which organizationsenable them to accomplish their goals.You can find additional information aboutthe study and about our Institute on theweb, at “hirr.hartsem.edu.” We think youwill find many of the resources therehelpful to you, but you will especially beable to follow up with more detail on manyof the findings in this report. Just click onthe “current projects” button.

For this study, we selected seven researchsites: Albuquerque, Nashville, Chicago,Hartford, rural counties in Alabama, ruralcounties in Missouri, and Seattle. Ourwork in Hartford was assisted by Dr. LeslieIrvine and the research team based at theHartford Institute. These seven areas

allowed us to catch a glimpse of thecountry as a whole (and our results havebeen statistically weighted to approximateknown characteristics of the nation’scongregations and their attenders).2 Acrossthe country, we talked with representativesof 549 congregations and surveyed all theattenders in 32 of them. We also gatheredinformation on nearly 6000 connectionsbetween congregations and otherorganizations, and we talked with nearly200 representatives of those organizations.We compiled all the surveys, transcribedand analyzed all the interviews, and this isa report on what we have found.

Throughout the nation, more than 300,000congregations provide a point of gathering,worship, and community engagement forthe roughly half of Americans whoparticipate on a regular basis in them.They range from small storefronts to hugemega-complexes, from traditionalProtestants and Catholics to newer arrivalslike Hindus and Muslims. The sheerpervasiveness of these organizations makesthem impossible to ignore for anyone whois looking for ways to mobilize energytoward the good of communities. What wewill see in the pages to follow is that theyare already remarkably involved in servingboth their own members and the largercommunity. But they do not do their workalone. It is by weaving together a networkof money, volunteers, and other supportsthat service agencies and congregationstogether do good in their communities.We hope that this report will remind you ofhow important that is, highlight for you thekey partners in your community, andinspire your own imagination in thinkingabout how you can be involved.

2

3

A Preview: Congregational Connections in HartfordHartford’s congregations are important links in the delivery of the services and activities thatmake the city a better place in which to live. The average congregation in Hartford providesmoney, volunteers, space, in-kind donations, and/or staff time to

A total of 5.32 community outreach organizations

� On average, 2 of these provide direct services – food, clothing, and shelter -- topeople in need. Congregations connect to organizations like Covenant to Care,Center City Churches, the Friendship Center, Salvation Army, and various foodbanks.

� 1 connection may enable long-term community development and/or makespossible political and social advocacy. This might be Habitat for Humanity, anAIDS Walk, Heifer Project, or Bread for the World.

� 1 or 2 provide activities that enhance the educational, health and cultural life ofthe community, such as day care centers, scout troops, blood banks, and theatregroups.

� 1 provides opportunities for personal growth and self-help, such as AA, PFLAG,and “Take Off Pounds Sensibly.”

� The remainder are connections to a variety of other civic and social causes.

And all of this is in addition to the work they do through their own individual congregation,through their denomination, or by way of the encouragement they give to their own membersto be personally involved. Not all congregations are equally involved, and differentcongregations emphasize different kinds of activities or different sorts of organizationalpartners. But the overall level of connection between congregations and communityorganizations is considerable. Only seven of the 56 Hartford congregations we interviewedreported that they did no work that connected them beyond their own internal ordenominational organizations.

In the sections that follow, we will look more closely at who these congregations are and what they do. Before we return to a more detailed look at

their community connections, it is important to put them in perspective…

4

I - The Work of CongregationsWhat Comes First?

While congregations are intimatelyinvolved in the good work that is done inevery community, their primary task is notthe delivery of social services orsupporting cultural organizations. Theirprimary task is the spiritual wellbeing oftheir members. Across every tradition andin every region, congregations agree –their highest priority is providingopportunities for vital spiritual worship.That is where leaders put the most energy,and that is the first thing members look forwhen they are seeking a place to join.

Some people might think that this spiritualactivity is irrelevant to the largercommunity, that it is “otherworldly.” It iscertainly true that the effects of a worshipservice are less easily measured than theeffects of a food pantry or job trainingprogram. But worship services can makea real difference, too. People we haveinterviewed tell us that worship is a timewhen they put their individual priorities inperspective, reminding themselves of whatis really important in life. Participating inworship and religious ritual remindspeople that they are not the center of theuniverse and that they should care forothers. Congregations of all sorts areplaces that teach people to “do untoothers” as they would wish others to dounto them.3 Even people who disagreeabout many other things, agree that this isat the heart of being a religiously-faithfulperson. And they agree that it is importantfor children to have a place that teachesthem right from wrong. In a society that

often seems at moral loose ends,congregations provide a community inwhich values are discussed and modeledfor the good of children and adults alike.

The link between worship and everydaylife was made by the pastor of a largeChicago African-American Baptist church.He said, “All of us are in the same boat.My main burden is to get us to see theneed to move closer to the Lord, toexercise our gifts, to get out there andexercise our faith, to help somebody, to bereal Christians, and to be committed towhat we're about.” The same messagewas voiced in a different way by the pastorof a mid-sized Seattle Episcopal parish:

“I think most people who comehere have recognized that theyneed spiritual and ethicalmoorings in their lives. It's notjust working and consuming andspending leisure time, there hasto be a spiritual pursuit….We'renot holding up a model of thechurch that says we live inanother age and everything’sblack and white. We're saying,these questions have beenaround in different forms for along time and there's a way inwhich one can journey throughlife without becoming totallyunglued. I think that people arelooking for a way to make adifference in the world. We'reseeing a real interest in outreachhere. People want to reach outand help others. People are alsolooking for something that’s

5

transcendent from their lives.They come to worship and wantto have a spiritual experience.

The Rabbi of a large HartfordConservative Jewish synagogue,describing a “Havurah” (prayer and study)group, said, “When we get together,there’s a great hunger for basics and forkind of a spiritual dimension, the poetrybehind the concrete action. We try toprovide that whenever possible.” And thepastor of a mid-sized Southern Baptistchurch in Seattle returned to the theme ofhelping members make connectionsbetween their spiritual lives and everydaysituations. “In members’ daily life, thereis a lot of possibility for compromise.There’s a lot of temptation to do a lot ofthings. And just that week-by-weekencouragement, the focus on beingconnected with God, encountering God --we strive to do that.”

This religious perspective on life can alsobe empowering. People who occupy low-status and marginal positions in societycan be reassured of their own self-worthand inspired to action. Religiousexperiences and visions can provide acritical perspective against which to judgethe world and toward which to work forchange.4 Religious traditions oftenprovide alternative ways to look at theworld and offer people the promise thatGod will help them. Even worship thatappears to have little to say about thisworld may give important spiritualstrength to the worshipers.

What else do congregations do?

The work congregations put second ontheir list – right behind worship andspiritual life – is “fellowship.” They see

themselves as a family, a community ofpeople who care for each other and dothings together. Again, there is very broadagreement about how important this workis. Across religious traditions, regions,class, and ethnicity people agree aboutwhat is most basic to congregational life.Leaders say they work hard at providingthis family-like atmosphere, and memberssay they are looking for a warm, friendlycommunity when they choose acongregation to join.

Again, it would be easy to dismiss thisinward-looking emphasis as irrelevant,perhaps even harmful, to the largercommunity. The danger that many see isthat people may gather in congregationsthat are insular, basking in the warmth ofpeople just like themselves, and perhapsdespising those who are different. Such abarricade mentality is clearly unhealthy,and some congregations are guilty.

But there are also good reasons tocelebrate the “bonding” that is going oninside congregations. As Robert Putnamhas recently argued, in his book BowlingAlone, every society needs the “socialcapital” that is generated when peoplegather in voluntary organizations, workingand playing together.

♦ As we learn to communicate witheach other and trust each other, weprovide a vital network that helps tohold society together.

♦ As we work together, debating andorganizing to get things done, wealso provide valuable opportunitiesfor people to learn the civic skillsthey need for participation indemocracy.5

6

♦ And as we care for each otherthrough thick and thin, we pick upmuch of the first-line social servicedelivery that might otherwise haveto be done by government agencies.

All of the work that congregations do atbuilding up a caring, functioning internalcommunity pays off for the largercommunity, even if indirectly.

Even the insularity of some congregationsis not all bad. When a group of people isdisadvantaged in the larger society, theexistence of an alternative community iscritical. African Americans have longknown that black churches were a vitalrefuge. What happened there on Sundaymorning (and throughout the week)enabled community leadershipdevelopment, celebrated and preserved aunique culture, created a space where therules and authorities of the other culturewere suspended, and provided a staging-ground for action. Today (as throughoutour history), dozens of immigrantcommunities are discovering similarbenefits.6 And in an American culture that

is less committed to assimilation than itused to be, congregations of all sorts areplaces where the many unique cultures ofthis nation are nurtured and passed on.Earlier immigrant congregationssometimes disappeared after theirmembers (or their children) learnedEnglish. But that may not happen withthis newer generation. Both becausediscrimination persists and because theywish to preserve their particular culturaland religious heritage, children andgrandchildren are maintaining thehundreds of Korean and Mexican andChinese churches that have been foundedin the last three decades. In ourextraordinarily diverse society,congregations are a healthy way for us toexpress that diversity.

Providing a gathering place, then, is partof the “work” congregations do for theircommunities. The next section of thisreport turns to the question of just whatsorts of religious gathering places there arein Hartford and how they compare to therest of the nation.

7

II - The Religious SceneHow Are Hartford Congregations Distinctive?

How big are Hartford’s congregations? One of the most significant aspects of acongregation’s life is simply its size. Larger congregations have more resources – of all sorts– than smaller ones. While most people are in moderate-to-large congregations, mostcongregations are quite small. In the country as a whole, half of all congregations havefewer than 75 regular participants! In rural areas, the average size is even smaller.

As in other urban areas, the typical congregation in Hartford has just under 100 people on anaverage weekend. In fact, Hartford has slightly more small congregations but also slightlymore large ones (over 300 in attendance) than did the other cities in our study.

Figure 1: Congregational Size (average weekly attendance)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Hartford other cities

Perc

ent o

f Con

greg

atio

ns

500+

300-499

100-299

50-99

< 50

8

How old are Hartford’s congregations? Given Hartford’s location in New England, it is notsurprising that proportionately more of the city’s congregations were founded before 1875than is true in the rest of the country. Hartford has about the usual share of congregationsthat were founded in the following century, but proportionately fewer that were foundedsince 1970. However, that number represents a significant drop in the 1970s, with asubstantial recovery since then. Hartford has, in fact, more very new congregations (foundedsince 1985) than does the rest of the country. And like the rest of the country, these newestcongregations are extremely likely to be Conservative and/or Pentecostal, often founded asindependent churches, not part of any established denomination.

Figure 2: Founding Dates for Congregations

before

1875

1876-1

910

1911-1

945

1946-1

970

1971-1

985

1986-p

resent

Hartford

rest of the nation

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

9

What is the ethnic composition of Hartford’s congregations? While most congregations arepredominantly Euro-American, no more so than the population of the Hartford region wouldsuggest. However, for a variety of reasons (including language barriers), our sample clearlyunder-represents the Latino and Asian populations in Hartford. Note that most congregationshave a single ethnic group in attendance, usually with at least a few (sometimes quite a few)people from outside that group. The congregations we categorized as “mixed” are different.They claim that no single ethnic group constitutes more than 60% of their membership.

H a rtfo rd

m o s tly w h ite7 1 %

m o s tly a s ia n0 %

m o s tly h is p a n ic2 %

m o s tly b la c k1 7 %

m ix e d1 0 %

R e s t o f th e N a tio n

m o stly w h ite6 8%

m o s tly b lac k16%

m ixe d12%

m o s tly h is p an ic2%

m o stly a s ian2 %

10

We need to know more about congregations than just their age and size. There are, ofcourse, religious differences, as well. One way to take a measure of the religious traditions ina community is to look at the particular denominations and faiths that are represented.Christian groups can be seen as clustering around categories such as “Mainline” Protestant(groups like Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodists, and Lutherans, for instance),Conservative Protestant (like pentecostals, independent churches, Southern Baptists, andNazarenes), Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox groups, and the historic African Americandenominations (like the Church of God in Christ, the AME, or the National Baptists). Inaddition, there are other Christian groups, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons.Beyond the Christian tradition, there are Jewish groups, and other non-Christian groups (likeMuslims and Buddhists). In the nation as a whole, for instance, over half of allcongregations are in the various conservative Protestant traditions, and only small (butgrowing) numbers are outside the Protestant/Catholic part of the circle.

Hartford’s mix is distinctive especially in three ways.

� First, it is more “Mainline” Protestant than the rest of the country (and, in turn,has a smaller share of conservative Protestant churches). The Episcopal,Lutheran, Congregationalist, and other more liberal churches in Hartford are abigger part of the religious “ecology” than they are in some other parts of thecountry. In fact, Hartford is the only one of our research sites in which Mainlinecongregations outnumber conservative ones.

� Second, Hartford has few congregations in the “other Christian” and “other non-Christian” categories. These are groups that are less “traditional,” andHartford has few enough of them that they barely showed up in our sample.

� Third, Hartford has proportionately more Catholic and Jewish congregations thanthe remainder of the country.

It is important to note, however, that the percentage of congregations in a given group doesnot necessarily parallel the percentage of participants in that group. Catholic churches, forinstance, are much larger than the average Protestant church, so fewer congregations does notmean fewer participants. These large parishes and congregations are relatively few innumber, but claim relatively large portions of the population.

11

Figure 3: Religious Traditions of Congregations

Another way to look at the religious landscape is to see how congregations think about whatthey ought to be doing in the world.7 We asked those we interviewed to tell us howimportant various activities and emphases were to their congregations. Three clusters ofactivities emerged from their answers. Some congregations, of course, combine more than

H artford

O ther C hrist ian g roups

2%Jews4%

C atho lic & O rthodox

8%

O ther N on-C hristians

0%

histo ric A frican A m erican denom 's

6%

C onserv ativ e P ro testants

38%

"M ain line" P rotestan ts

42%

rest of the nation

"Mainline" Protestants25%

Conservative Protestants54% Catholic & Orthodox

6%

historic African American denom's

7%

Other Christian groups3%

Jews1%

Other Non-Christians4%

12

one emphasis, but they are classified here according to the one they rated highest. Note alsothat while the term “evangelism” is a particularly Christian term, other kinds ofcongregations sometimes valued similar activities and ranked these statements highly.

Those we’ll call “member-oriented” gave especially high ratings to

• providing fellowship activities for members• providing counseling and other services for members• fostering members’ spiritual growth

Those we’ll call “evangelistic” gave especially high ratings to

• maintaining an active evangelism and outreach program, encouraging members toshare their faith

• helping members to resist the temptations of this world and prepare for a world tocome

• preserving the truths of the religious traditionThose we call “activist” gave especially high ratings to

• promoting social change in this world by organizing and speaking out againstinjustice

• serving the poor and needy

Figure 4: Percent of Congregations Holding Various Mission Orientations

49 % 3 2 % 19 %

38 % 46 % 16 %

0% 10% 20 % 30% 40% 50 % 60% 70% 80% 9 0% 10 0%

H a rtfo rd

re s t o f th e n a tio n

m e m b e r o rie n te d e v a n g e lis t ic a c tiv is t

13

Compared to the rest of the country, Hartford has considerably fewer congregations whoseprimary orientation is evangelistic and slightly more whose orientation is toward activelychanging the world. As we will see in a few pages, these “mission orientations” make a realdifference in how congregations engage with the community.

14

III - Congregations Reaching Out to the Community: The Details

As we saw at the beginning, congregations in Hartford are highly connected to the rest ofHartford’s voluntary and social service sector, reporting, on average more than 5 connectionsto groups that provide for the wellbeing of the community in a variety of ways. In additionto the work they do in providing for the spiritual wellbeing of their own members and thecaring fellowship they provide for those members, Hartford’s congregations are importantlinks in the delivery of the services and activities that make the city a better place in which tolive.

These congregations come in all shapes and sizes and have many different religious ideas andtraditions from which they draw. It’s time now to take a closer look at the community workthey do. As we looked at all the information we gathered on the work congregations weredoing in partnership with other community organizations, we asked about what kinds of workwas being done. While congregations understandably spend most of their energy taking careof the spiritual and social wellbeing of their members, when they turn their attention to thelarger community, just what do they seek to accomplish?

Figure 5: Most Frequent Outreach Partnership Activities

help needy people

education, culture, health

community development

personal growth

evangelism

advocacyHartford

rest of the nation

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

% o

f all

outr

each

par

tner

ship

s

15

Throughout the nation, the number-oneactivity that draws congregations intopartnership with other communityorganizations is direct service to peoplein immediate need. Whether the need isfor food or clothing, shelter or otheremergency aid, congregations help tosupply the resources that make this workpossible. Among the organizationsthrough which Hartford congregationsmost frequently work are:

• Friendship Center• Covenant to Care• Food Share• Interval House• My Sister’s Place• Salvation Army

These services take a variety of forms incommunities around the country. Here aresome of the voices we heard:

� In Middletown, near Hartford, St.Vincent de Paul Place provides hotmeals, clothing, and “supportivehousing,” a program aimed at helpinghomeless people get the services theyneed in order to stay off the street.

� In Nashville, Room in the Innincludes both shelter facilities and a“Guest House” unit for people whoarrive too intoxicated to be admitted tothe shelter. When they sober up,counseling and medical assistance isavailable.

� In Seattle, Northwest Harvestprovides food and meals, but its majortask is serving as the primarydistribution system for other sheltersand feeding programs around the state,buying truckloads of beans and cargocontainers full of rice, in addition toreceiving food donations from dozensof congregations and businesses. Thedirector explained that the total

“amounts to close to 15 million poundsof food a year. We distribute onlythrough non-profit 501C3organizations….They in turn give it topeople who present themselves inneed.”

� In Chicago, a representative ofHesed House told us, “We feed, clotheand shelter very poor homeless people.And hopefully, try to give them reasonto hope again.”

� In Albuquerque, the director ofStorehouse rattled off these numbersfor yearly contributions to poor peoplein the community: “somewherebetween 38,000 and 42,000 bags ofclothing. We’re projecting over100,000 meals. We will help 250families with furniture.”

Hartford’s congregations reflect thepriorities seen in other communities –when people are in immediate need,congregations want to be part of thesolution. People want to salve some ofsociety’s wounds, and most of themrecognize that they cannot respond to allthe need around them with only their ownresources. They need to work with others,pooling money, personpower, andexpertise that can go beyond a quickhandout at the door.

Educational, Cultural, and HealthActivities

Congregations cooperate with othervoluntary organizations in other importantcommunity activities, as well. This is thesecond most common activity in whichcongregations are involved withcommunity partners (see Figure 5).Everywhere you look among thecongregations we interviewed, there arescout troops and nursery schools, senior

16

centers and sports leagues – all existingindependently of any single congregation,but often housed and supported byreligious groups in cooperation with othersin the community. In addition, there arearts organizations that use religiousbuildings for rehearsals, performances andlessons. Congregations support formaland informal programs of tutoring, after-school care, and literacy classes. Theycontribute to programs of education andservice provision that surround issues asdiverse as AIDS, unwanted pregnancies,handicapped persons, adoption, and more.They support and refer parishioners tocounseling centers of all sorts. And theycooperate with others in deliveringspiritual care to people in hospitals,nursing homes, on college campuses, andeven in police and fire departments.

These needs are less basic than the food,clothing, and shelter provided by humanservice organizations, but they are no lessessential to public life. They bringtogether persons from throughout acommunity who share a concern orinterest, and they mobilize the resources ofa diverse set of persons and organizationsto respond to those needs. In helping toprovide for the social, health, educational,and cultural needs of the community,congregations – working through affiliatedorganizations of all sorts -- play animportant role in enhancing communitylife.

Community Development Activities

On-going efforts to build up the strengthof a community are captured in our“community development” category (seeFigure 5). Most of these are all-purposeassociations – block watch groups,neighborhood associations, civic clubs,and the like. They take on tasks as

mundane as trash pickup and ascomplicated as policing issues. Some ofthem attempt to implement longer-termchanges that are needed to make thecommunity a better place to live.Providing permanent affordable housing,for instance, has become a widespreadconcern, and the premier organization thathas mobilized the energies ofcongregations and others in behalf of thiscause is Habitat for Humanity. No otherform of community economicdevelopment activity has anything like thepresence of Habitat among congregations.

About a quarter of conservative Protestantchurches participate in such civic-mindedactivities, while around half of themainline Protestant, African American,and Catholic parishes have at least sometie to a group working for communitybetterment.8

Another organization with whichcongregations work is Heifer Project, anArkansas-based ministry that provideslivestock as a means toward economicself-sufficiency in communities around theworld. Seattle-based World Vision isanother development organization with asignificant base of support among thecongregations we surveyed. Both WorldVision and Heifer Project work primarilyoverseas; local economic developmentpartnerships are considerably more rare.African American churches were morethan three times as likely (22% v 6% inother traditions) to name a local economicdevelopment group as a partner. Whilethe idea of “community developmentcorporations” is getting a good deal ofattention these days, it is the rarecongregation that has taken on this sort ofeconomic partnership.

Self-help and Personal Growth Groups

17

Much more specialized work is done bypeople who gather in small groups to helpthemselves and each other to deal withspecific problems and interests. By far thebest known and most widespread, ofcourse, are the Alcoholics Anonymous andother 12-step groups for narcotics addicts,overeaters, and even “sex and loveaddicts.” Congregations across thereligious spectrum provide support forthese groups, but mainline Protestantchurches are especially likely to beinvolved. And while such groups arepopular in all parts of the country,Hartford congregations are somewhatmore likely to be involved than arecongregations elsewhere.

As numerous as AA groups are in thebasements of American churches andsynagogues, there are an equal number ofother support and spirituality groups, aswell. Here we are not counting groups runas part of the congregation’s own internalprogramming. Beyond the church’s ownSunday School classes and men’s andwomen’s groups, about one in threecongregations also hosts or providesresources to a support and growth groupthat encompasses persons from beyond itsown membership.

These include the usual religiously-focused groups like Bible study and prayergroups. But even more common are sportsleagues and support groups for peopleencountering both mundane andextraordinary challenges in living. Thereare parenting groups for “Mothers ofPreschoolers (MOPS)” and weight controlgroups, including Take Off PoundsSensibly (TOPS) and Weight Watchers.There are groups dealing with birth defectsand disability, as well as groups for peoplewho have encountered less commondifficulties – Turret syndrome, LymeDisease, and incest, to name a few of those

we found. There are even groups fortransvestites and for Christian motorcycleenthusiasts, for people recovering fromdivorce and people who are victims ofviolence.

Small groups can be an effective meansfor sustaining social and emotional bondsand promoting mutual aid.9 When one ortwo people see a need, they often maketheir interest known through and beyondtheir own congregation. They draw on thenetworks of knowledge andcommunication that can be tapped thereand often end up housing the resultinggroup in the parlor or fellowship hall.Again, the resources of congregationsfacilitate the creation of the sorts of socialcapital that sustain the common good byhelping citizens to help each other.

Evangelistic Outreach Activities

Evangelism is another activity in whichreligious people encounter persons outsidetheir own religious community in an effortto change the world for the better – onesoul at a time. In supporting such efforts,the scope of the congregation’s concern isoften enlarged to include a public muchwider than their immediate locale. It isthis sort of evangelical activity, in fact,that most commonly involvescongregations in connections beyond thelocal region. From Jamaica and Haiti toMexico and Lebanon and Bosnia andNigeria, many congregations are directlyconnected to missionaries they support,hearing from them about the cultures,challenges, and needs of those distantplaces, and often sending delegations todeliver goods and work alongside overseasmissionaries. It is, however, a set ofpartnerships in which Hartford’scongregations are much less likely to beinvolved than are congregationselsewhere.

18

Public Advocacy

In addition to these on-the-ground effortsto build up community well-being, a fewcongregations also make connections withorganizations that allow them to givevoice to public policy concerns. From theenvironment to health care and from civilrights to animal rights, congregationssometimes pursue the cause of justice inthis world through advocacy organizationsthat include:

Amnesty International, TheAudobon Society, Bread for theWorld, Center for thePrevention of DomesticViolence, The Sierra Club,Earth Ministry, Children’sDefense Fund, Fellowship ofReconciliation, Gay Prideparade and AIDS Walk, SimpleJustice (an advocacy group forgays and lesbians), InterfaithAlliance, Physicians for SocialResponsibility, Protestants forthe Common Good, Union ofConcerned Scientists, UnitedPower for Action and Justice --as well as the March for Jesusand Life Chain

In most cases, congregations participatewith local chapters of large national

groups, but the national and internationalscope of the issues being addressed drawscongregations into a large public arena.African American churches were the onlyones to report alliances with specificallypolitical or voter education organizations.Their members, in turn, were also the mostlikely to report that they participate inpolitical activities in the community.

Summary. The largest proportion ofcongregational energy goes into providingrelief for people in need, but nearly asmuch is directed at the education and self-improvement of others who may be lessimmediately needy. The kinds of thingswe often think about when we think about“activist” congregations are actuallyrelatively rare. Few are involved ineconomic development or policyadvocacy, and almost none in overtlypolitical groups. Rather, congregations areworking with other communityorganizations to provide more immediateenrichment and relief. By combiningefforts with other organizations, aid andservices are provided far beyond what anyone congregation could do and with a farmore diverse set of partners than would bepossible if work were confined todenominational channels alone.

19

IV - How Do Congregations Help?Just what kinds of commitment do such outreach partnerships entail? Rarely does apartnership involve a whole congregation on an on-going and intense basis. But rarely is itsomething about which they know or care little. We attempted to find out as much as wecould about these connections, and in about half the cases we were able to discern somecountable measures of what is being invested (see Table 1). Where our informant did notknow the answers to our specific questions about volunteers, contributions, and other aspectsof the connection, we have erred on the conservative side and counted as if no suchcontributions exist, so the numbers in this Table clearly underestimate the amount ofcontributions being made by congregations to their outreach partners.

Table 1: Levels of Involvement with Outside Organizations -- National Averages

MainlineProtestant

ConservativeProtestant

AfricanAmericanProtestant

Catholic WeightedTotal*

% with at least onecommunity connection 93% 90% 84% 91% 87%% of Churches that providevolunteers to at least oneorganization

86% 73% 65% 77% 74%

Average Number ofOrganizations to which theChurch sends volunteers

3.71 2.54 2.21 2.91 2.80

% of Churches that providespace to at least oneorganization

72% 51% 66% 76% 57%

Average Number ofOrganizations to which theChurch provides space

3.06 1.30 1.35 2.33 1.76

% of Churches that donatematerial goods to at least oneorganization

49% 23% 28% 28% 30%

Average Number ofOrganizations to whichChurches donate materialgoods

.85 .35 .30 .60 .48

% of Churches that donatemoney to at least oneorganization

67% 41% 27% 27% 45%

Average Number ofOrganizations to whichChurches donate money

4.32 1.95 1.59 2.73 2.53

Average total contributions tonon-denominational outreachorganizations

$3404 $4199 $ 727 $4878 $3538

*Included in Total, but not in the other columns are 14 “Other Christian” cases, 10 Jewish synagogues,and 11 other non-Christian groups.

20

Even with incomplete information, the numbers are substantial. Well over half of allcongregations have at least one outside organization that uses space in their buildings (eitherdonated outright or made available at minimal cost).10 On average, in fact, there are nearlytwo such organizations for every congregation. If nothing else, congregations are valuable totheir communities because they provide meeting space and other facilities to support thework of organizations beyond their own membership.

What congregations contribute is not just empty space; it is also person-power. Eachcongregation contributes, on average, volunteers to three organizations, and 74% report thatthey send volunteers to help in at least one group. For the groups to which they sendvolunteers, the median number of members who are involved is five, with a few reportingliterally dozens of routine volunteers.

That, of course, does not begin to count the number of groups in which individual memberswork, not as official representatives of their congregations, but at least in part because theircongregation encourages such activity.11 As we see in Figure 6, Fifty-nine percent of theindividual members we surveyed claim that they participate in community serviceorganizations at least a few times a year. In addition, seventy-nine percent claim that they atleast occasionally provide informal service to people in need.

Figure 6: Involvement of Members as Volunteers in CommunityService Organizations – National Averages

The connections go beyond volunteers and space. On average two or three organizationsreceive money from each congregation, amounting, on average, to nearly $1500 perorganization per year.

0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % 6 0 % 7 0 % 8 0 % 9 0 % 1 0 0 %

P e r c e n t o f m e m b e r s i n v o l v e d

w e e k l yo r m o r e

2 - 3 t i m e sa m o n t h

m o n t h l y f e w t i m e sa y e a r

n e v e r

21

And about a third supplement their monetary contributions to at least one organization withother material goods –food, clothing, furniture, Christmas gifts, and the like – collected bythe members.

Congregations also encourage their individual members to give to causes in the community.As Figure 7 shows, only one in six of the participants we surveyed said that they gavenothing to secular causes. In fact, in mainline Protestant congregations, 11% claimed tocontribute $1000 or more, compared to 5% of conservatives, 7.5% of Catholics, but 13% ofrespondents in African American churches who gave that generously.

Figure 7: Annual Giving to Secular Charity by IndividualReligious Participants – National Averages

This pattern of multi-faceted participation with outside organizations is present across thenation at roughly the same levels. Our research sites do not differ significantly from eachother, but there are differences across religious traditions. Almost all religious traditions areat least minimally involved, but the level of activity in mainline Protestant congregationstends to be higher than in conservative, African American, and Catholic churches. Mainlinechurches send volunteers to, provide space for, and give money and goods to roughly twiceas many organizations. Across all the traditions, the average number of volunteers per groupis the same, so given that mainline churches support more groups, their total number ofvolunteers is therefore considerably larger than the total coming from other traditions.Monetary contributions, however, are different. Mainline Protestants spend a similar numberof dollars, but spread them among more groups. Along with virtually all other religiousgroups, their resources help to sustain the community.

0 %

1 0 %

2 0 %

3 0 %

4 0 %

5 0 %

6 0 %

7 0 %

8 0 %

9 0 %

1 0 0 %

1

perc

ent o

f par

ticip

ants

who

giv

e

$ 3 0 0 0 +

$ 1 0 0 0 -$ 2 9 9 9

$ 1 0 0 -$ 9 9 9

< $ 1 0 0

n o n e

22

Figure 8: Just what sorts of organizations do congregations work with?

How Congregations Organize. Our firstdiscovery is that many of the“organizations” through whichcongregations do their work are not formalorganizations at all. They are often simplyinformal partnerships among two or morecongregations, partnerships that have nostaff of their own and often not even aname. Many food pantries and clothesclosets are run this way. A group ofcongregations agrees informally that onewill collect, store, and distribute furniture,while another will take care of the food,and a third will collect clothing. Theymay notify various social service agenciesof the arrangement so that needy personscan be referred to the right place. Thisnetwork of caring may never show up onanyone’s annual report, but it is a criticallink in the safety net in manycommunities.

Equally informal are the groups who sharea common interest or concern and form aself-help or support group. Rather thanbeing part of a formal national network(like AA, for instance), many are simplycommunity folk who decide to gettogether. We found Alzheimers anddisability support groups and groups thatgather to practice Aikido, Irish StepDancing, or Zen meditation, for instance.Many (although not all) of the sportsleagues we encountered were similarlyinformal. They have an on-goingexistence and a recognizable identity, butthere is little if any financial or legalinfrastructure.

But by far the most important of theseinformal groups are the clergy associationsthat are present in nearly everycommunity. They offer clergy an

in f o r m a l o r g a n iz a t io n s2 5 %

r e l ig io u s n o n - p r o f i t s3 7 %

s e c u la r n o n - p r o f i t s3 1 %

g o v e r n m e n t a l o r g a n iz a t io n s

7 %

23

opportunity to share their burdens withothers who understand, but often theprayer and fellowship of these groups isspecifically directed at needs and concernsin the community, and the concernsexpressed in prayer spill over into concreteactions the group may undertake.

Among the most common tasks of clergyassociations is working out the sorts ofinformal social service arrangements wejust mentioned. Churches and synagoguesare obvious stopping points for people inneed, but it is hard for a pastor or rabbi (ora secretary) to make a judgment aboutwhat is best when someone knocks on thedoor. By banding together, and often byenlisting the help of local merchants,congregations establish some semblanceof rationality in a situation they findotherwise frustratingly ambiguous. Ifeveryone cooperates, each has a sense thatappropriate help is being delivered.

Not surprisingly, the religious nonprofitsector is the largest block of organizationsthrough which congregations do theirwork in the community (see Figure 8).Nearly half of the human serviceconnections and over half of the links tocommunity development groups are linksto formal religious nonprofit organizations-- Community Centers and shelters, foodpantries and rescue missions, pastoralcounseling centers and refugeeresettlement programs, prison ministriesand drug rehab programs, senior centersand AIDS ministries.

It is important to note that these religiousnonprofits bring together people from awide variety of religious traditions (andoften people of no tradition at all). Even anidentifiably denominational group, such asCatholic Charities or Lutheran Social

Services is very likely to have tangiblesupport from persons and congregationsoutside that denomination. When theyserve their communities, religious peoplerub shoulders with an often unlikely arrayof people from beyond their owntraditions.

Secular nonprofits are also importantplayers. While they may have somecongregational donors and volunteers thatcome through religious channels, theirwork is defined primarily in secular terms.About one third of all the human service,community development, andculture/education/health connections thatcongregations have are connections toexplicitly secular organizations. Educationand self help work is, in fact, more oftenaccomplished through secular groups.From literacy programs to choirs anddance troops, secular community benefitorganizations often receive space,volunteers, and monetary support fromcongregations.

The other activity in which secularnonprofits are the dominant player ispolicy advocacy. As we saw above,congregations provide support to groups asdiverse as Amnesty International, theSierra Club, and Physicians for SocialResponsibility. Such secular groups areconsiderably more common thanreligiously based ones (such as InterfaithAlliance or Bread for the World) in theadvocacy partnerships cited bycongregations.

Perhaps surprisingly, at least somecongregations are also involved inprogram partnerships with variousgovernmental organizations. Mostcommon are connections betweencongregations and schools, and most often

24

those connections involve members intutoring and other support programs. Inaddition, congregations are often partnersin public projects that are run by parksdepartments, police departments, andchambers of commerce. In Chicago, forinstance, a number of congregationsparticipate in the CAPS (ChicagoAlternative Policing Strategy) program.One church in Hartford provides resourcesfor special activities at the public library.And in both of our rural locations,churches have especially close workingrelationships with the county welfareoffice. Social workers know whichchurches to call when there are emergencyneeds.

These partnerships all began long beforethe current discussion of “charitablechoice.” They are part of the long-standing pattern of more informalcooperation between religious groups and

government. In none of these cases was acongregation receiving government fundsto support any service activity.12

It is worth noting that mainline Protestantcongregations are much more likely tomake connections to secular nonprofitsand governmental agencies than areconservative, African American, or evenCatholic churches.

Again, we see that the connectionsbetween congregations and theircommunities are both extensive anddiverse. Some connections are veryinformal, some through formalorganizations. Some are through otherreligious groups, while others linkcongregations with secular nonprofits andpublic agencies. And some of theconnections are indirect, through thegiving and volunteering that membersundertake on their own.

25

V - Explanations for Congregational Involvement

Not every congregation is equally involved in providing services to the larger communitythrough organizational partnerships beyond their own denomination. A variety of factorsdifferentiate the most actively-connected from others.

Some expect regions to be different from each other, but there are no real differencesbetween Hartford congregations and the rest of the country – net of the other factors(especially religious traditions) that make Hartford distinctive. Congregations in rural areasare less involved in outside partnerships than are urban ones, but the educational and racialcomposition of the congregation makes no difference, other things being equal.

On the other hand, not surprisingly, resources are a significant part of the story. The moremoney a congregation has in its budget, the more connections it is likely to form, and themore high-income parishioners it has—over and above the size of the budget—the moreconnections it can sustain. It is money, in fact, not sheer size, that makes a difference.

26

Figure 9: Effect of Budget Size on Community Involvement – National Averages

Figure 10: Effect of Member Income on CommunityInvolvement – National Averages

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

< $50k $51-100k $101-200k $201-400k > $400k

Annual B udget

# of

Com

mun

ity P

artn

ers

0

5

10

15

20

25

none hardly any(<10%)

some(10-39%)

about half(40-60%)

most(61-90%)

nearly all(>90%)

Number of Members with High Income

# of

Com

mun

ity P

artn

ers

27

The differences we have seen, then, are partly a matter of money and context -- biggercongregations with bigger budgets do more -- but more than that there are real differencesbased on a congregation’s situatedness within a particular religious tradition (see Figure 11).Forming alliances with groups beyond one’s own doors is an organizational strategy thatexists in virtually all Christian (and Jewish) congregations, but it is a pattern that washistorically set by the congregations in the Mainline Protestant tradition. All other thingsbeing equal, those congregations are still more heavily invested in community partnershipsthan are congregations in other religious traditions. In addition, their individual members aremore likely to be personally involved in community organizations, politics, and givingmonetary support to charitable work. Catholic and Jewish congregations are not far behindin their level of involvement. Those least involved with outside partnerships are the newimmigrant (non-Christian) groups and the “other” Christian groups, such as Mormons andJehovah’s Witnesses.

Figure 11: Level of Involvement with Community Organizationsin Various Religious Traditions – National Averages

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

# of

com

mun

ity p

artn

ersh

ips

Mainline ProtestantJewish

Catholic/Orthodox

Conservative Protestant

African American

Other Non-Christian

Other Christian

28

While denominational traditions make a significant difference in the degree to whichcongregations are involved in community partnerships, the particular “mission” orientationof the congregation makes a difference, as well (see Figure 12). Even within a givendenomination, some congregations have a more “activist” orientation, while others are“member oriented,” and still others are “evangelistic.” All other things being equal – that is,congregations in the same tradition, with similar budgets, in similar locations and withsimilar memberships – the particular theological orientation of the congregation makes adifference in how it relates to the community.

Figure 12: Effects of Mission Orientation on CommunityInvolvement – National Averages

These mission orientations can characterize both congregations and the individuals in them.Not every “activist” person is in an “activist” congregation, for instance. Congregations thatdefine their mission in terms of social change are more involved in the community, but so areindividuals who see their goals in life as seeking justice and serving the needy. The religiousideas and orientations that are nurtured in congregations shape both the activities of thecongregation itself and the involvements of its individual members. The relatively high levelof activist orientation we found in Hartford is one of the reasons Hartford’s links betweencongregations and community partners are as dense and numerous as they are.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

e v a n g e l is t i c m e m b e r s e r v ic e a c t iv is t

29

VI - Denominational Connections

Some of what congregations do within alocal area is channeled through their ownparticular denomination’s agencies. Adiocese, district, or other regional“judicatory” may maintain funds andprograms that serve needy people, help toadvocate for social reform, and contributeto community well-being in a variety ofother ways. These efforts are not alwaysvery visible. Almost none of the regionaljudicatories we have examined makespolicy advocacy a high and visiblepriority, although many channel resourcesto regional religious coalitions – like theChristian Conference of Connecticut --that more visibly lobby and work forchange, often speaking in behalf of thewhole religious community. Onedenominational leader described the roleof ecumenical bodies as “sort of alightening rod for some of the activists inthe churches.” Because regionaldenominational bodies are often made upof quite diverse congregations, they maynot advertise all the work they do, evenwhen they are actively involved.

We found that 20% of the congregationswe surveyed mentioned at least onedenominationally-sponsored localoutreach effort they support. Thoseactively involved with other, non-denominational, local partnerships wereneither more nor less likely to be involvedwith their denomination. People who fearthat involvement with “parachurch”organizations will underminedenominational loyalty will find nothing toworry about in our findings. Whatcongregations do through religious andsecular non-profits, informal coalitions

and government alliances, is in additionto, not instead of, what they do withtheir denominations. Both forms ofconnection help congregations to extendtheir care for the community, neither at theexpense of the other.

Local denominational involvement is not amatter of demographics or resources orsize. Rather, being involved in thecommunity in a denominational modeseems to vary depending on thedenomination in question. Catholics, forinstance, are more likely to do work fortheir community through their localdiocese than Protestants are to do workwith their regional office (30% v 20%).Among Protestants, Episcopal churches,Southern Baptists, the Church of God inChrist, and Seventh-Day Adventists weremore likely to report local outreach effortsundertaken through their denominationsthan are groups like Unitarians or Baptists(other than Southern Baptists).

An A.M.E. pastor in Chicago, describinghis local A.M.E. ministers group, said,“We have a concern about our youth…Wetalked about doing a program jointlywhere [a nearby] college would have anopportunity to talk to first of all a lot ofblack ministers out there, and we wouldtry to get a number of youth theretoo….Another initiative for us is healthcare. We’re going to be setting the allianceup so that on a given day we can advertisethat at any AME church you can get yourblood pressure taken.” An AlbuquerqueCatholic priest noted that “in the wholearchdiocese, all the parishes participate.We have a mission weekend, to pray and

30

financially help. We have about 7-8collections a year for missions or missionprograms.” And a neighboring Episcopalparish in Albuquerque noted howconnections in the diocese enabled them toenlarge a mission program they hadstarted. “We opened it up a few years agoto anyone in the diocese that wanted tojoin us. Last year for example, they took 3different teams to Honduras for 2 weekseach.” Even small and rural SouthernBaptist churches in Missouri and Alabama

pointed with pride to their support forSBC-sponsored regional food pantries,children’s homes, and retirement facilities.

These denominational connections, then,add to the work congregations are doingthrough other organizations in thecommunity, as well as facilitatingconnections that spread throughout theworld. Here again, the pooled resources ofmany people make good work possible.

31

Conclusions:What have we learned, and where can we go from here?

There is a dense and complex web of connection in every community – a web that bindstogether the agencies that serve the community with the congregations in which people offaith gather. Those communities of faith are first and foremost places where people gatherfor spiritual strength and moral guidance, where they find a caring community in which toexpress themselves and find a home. Even when congregations have no overt ministries orother connections in the community, they serve us well by doing these basic religious tasks.

But beyond what congregations do for their own members, they also participate in myriadways in the supportive web that enhances community life. That web makes possible a widearray of services to needy people, as well as self-help groups and educational enrichment,evangelism and political activism. As you think about your own participation in Hartford’ssupport network, we hope you will reflect on questions like these.

1. How might existing connections between congregations and service agencies bebroadened? Which congregations need to be invited to become involved?

2. How can community needs be better communicated among a wider range of concernedgroups?

3. What groups share common concerns and ought to be working more closely with eachother?

4. How might congregations more intentionally explore the religious ideas and traditionsthat are the reason for this work? Do volunteers know why they do what they do, andhow does that sense of purpose give them strength? Do congregations know why theygive, and does that sense of mission help them make well-considered decisions?

5. Social service agencies are often supported by a wide diversity of religious groups. Howmight agencies more intentionally provide opportunities for donors, volunteers, andclients to be more aware of each other, talking and working together so that theircommon concerns are discovered, experienced, and expressed?

6. What sorts of informal alliances can facilitate getting things done? When can we getalong without a professional staff?

7. How can congregations be creative partners with governmental organizations? Whatsorts of things can congregations do without risking “unnecessary entanglement”?

8. Which religious organizations, if any, are best positioned to take advantage of “charitablechoice”? Which existing partnerships have lessons to teach as government urges new“faith-based” initiatives?

9. In the midst of all this, how can we protect the ability of congregations to do theirreligious work, valuing the diverse traditions they nurture and the spiritual perspectivesthey contribute to their members and to the community?

32

Endnotes and Suggestions for Further Reading 1 Robert D. Putnam's book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (NewYork: Simon & Schuster, 2000), is one of the most important recent sources of data and reflection onthe state of community life in the U.S.2 We are able to establish “weights” for our sample thanks to the National Congregations Study,which gathered data on a representative sample of all U.S. congregations. To read more about thisimportant study, see http://hirr.hartsem.edu/org/faith_congregations_research_ncs.html or MarkChaves et al., "The National Congregational Study; Background, Methods, and Selected Results,"Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 38, no. 4 (1999).3 I have written about this “golden rule” orientation among American Christians in "Golden RuleChristianity: Lived Religion in the American Mainstream," in Lived Religion in America, ed. David Hall(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997). This article is also available on-line athttp://hirr.hartsem.edu/sociology/sociology_online_articles.html.4 Andrew Billingsley, writing about active black churches, for instance, says “we have found in ourstudies and observations that churches without dynamic and spirit-filled worship programs are notlikely to sustain active community building activities. The two seem to reinforce each other.” Hisbook, Mighty Like a River: The Black Church and Social Reform (New York: Oxford University Press,2000) is one of many good sources on African American churches.5 The book Voice and Equality, by Sidney Verba, Kay Schlozman, and Henry Brady (Cambridge:Harvard University Press, 1995) provides persuasive evidence on the civic role of congregations.6 Further reflections on the role of religious pluralism in our society can be found in R. StephenWarner's article, "Changes in the Civic Role of Religion," in Diversity and Its Discontents: CulturalConflict and Common Ground in Contermporary American Society, edited by Neil J Smelser andJeffrey C. Alexander (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1999). His Gatherings in Diaspora:Religious Communities and the New Immigration (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998, editedwith Judith Wittner) is a fascinating collection of accounts of contemporary immigrant congregations.7 An earlier study of Hartford’s congregations also took up the question of “mission orientation.” SeeVarieties of Religious Presence, by David Roozen, William McKinney, and Jackson Carroll (New York:Pilgrim Press, 1984).8 The distinctive contributions of Mainline Protestants to public life are explored in Quietly Influential,edited by Robert Wuthnow and John Evans, and due out from University of California Press in 2001.9 Robert Wuthnow has written about the work of small groups in Sharing the Journey (New York:Free Press, 1994).10 Partners for Sacred Places (http://www.sacredplaces.org) has documented the extensivecontributions made by congregations who occupy historic buildings. Additional research oncongregational contributions to social service delivery can be found in Ram Cnann’s book, The NewerDeal (New York: Columbia University Press, 1999)http://hirr.hartsem.edu/org/faith_congregations_research_phillycensus.html.11 Wuthnow has also written a great deal about volunteering, including Acts of Compassion: Caringfor Others and Helping Ourselves (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991); Loose Connections:Joining Together in America's Fragmented Communities (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press,1998); and "Mobilizing Civic Engagement: The Changing Impact of Religious Involvement," in CivicEngagement in American Democracy, edited by Theda Skocpol and Morris P. Fiorina (Washington,DC: Brookings Institution Press, 1999).12 A good discussion of likely congregational involvement in “charitable choice” government-fundedactivities can be found in Mark Chaves's article, "Religious Congregations and Welfare Reform: WhoWill Take Advantage of 'Charitable Choice'?," American Sociological Review 64 (1999):836-846.

33

Additional information can be found in the research of John Bartkowski, accessible athttp://hirr.hartsem.edu/sociology/sociology_online_articles.html.