Metropolitan Residential Environments and Church Organizational Activities

This paper investigates the influence of the metropolitan residential environment on church organizational activities. Three major dimensions of organizational activity are evident among individual churches in the Seattle and Nashville regions: service toward the community, efforts to help individuals solve problems, and emphasis on religious activity within the church. On the whole, the residential environment has the greatest influence on the orientation of the church to community service, and the least effect on internal religiosity. The degree to which churches are socially integrated with the surrounding territory is especially important for furthering the community goal. Specific population and locational characteristics of the local community are less useful as predictors of church activities.