Gendered Congregations,Gendered Service: The Impact of Clergy Gender on Congregational Social Service Participation

Using data from the 1998 National Congregations Study, I present empirical evidence that shows that the gender of a congregation's leadership makes a difference in the likelihood that a congregation will participate in a social service programme. The results from binary logistic regression indicate that the odds of congregations with women head clergy participating in a social service programme are four times greater than those with men head clergy. In addition, as the percentage of women on a congregation's governing board increases the probability that a congregation will participate in a service project also increases. The specific types of social service programmes a congregation pursues also differ by gender of leadership, with women‐led congregations significantly more likely to pursue service projects that could be labelled feminine while avoiding programmes that are clearly feminist. To explain this gendered behaviour I incorporate Acker's (1990 ) theory of gendered organizations.     

关于集会、游行、示威自由权利属性的宪法学思考——基于对传统主流观点的反思

传统宪法学主流观点认为,宪法所保障的集会、游行、示威自由属于政治权利,其本质上具有政治权利的属性。但近年来,有些学者对之进行了反思,认为集会、游行、示威自由不仅具有政治权利属性,还具有其他权利属性,如经济、文化属性。传统主流观点由于受到诸种原因的影响,已经不能很好地适应宪法学理论和实践的发展,应尽快摆脱＂泛政治化＂的思维窠臼,把集会、游行、示威自由归入到表现自由中去,从而更好地保障人权。     

Developing a Community-Based Social Service Program for the Elderly

This article describes the development and implementation of a community-based social service program for the elderly. The problems encountered as a new professional unit within the municipality are analyzed and the role of the social worker in resolving those problems is described. The local community is the primary focus of change and strategies of intervention include reaching out and involving members from all levels of the community in the social service program, from members of the client group to individuals with political influence in the governmental system. Planning considerations for social work practice are posed including the relationship of the private, nonprofit sector to the public sector, the demands for service and difficulties establishing program stability.     

我国产业集群生成发展的内在规律研究

产业集群作为一种产业组织形态,长期以来一直受到理论界的关注。改革开放以来,我国东部沿海地区产业集群快速发展,有效地提升了当地经济的竞争力,推动了地方经济的发展。产业集聚现象日益引起我国各级地方政府的重视,纷纷加以研究和推广。有鉴于此,从理论上研究我国产业集群发展的内在规律,并采取相应的对策,促进产业集群在更宽、更广的区域和领域中发展,对促进我国经济,特别是中西部相对落后地区的经济发展,具有重要意义。     

Organizational Resources and the Gender Gap in Congregational Lay Leadership

The purpose of this study is to examine how organizational resources affect the gender gap within lay (volunteer) leadership in religious congregations. Using institutional theory as a framework, this study situates congregations within a larger field of organizations competing for legitimacy. Congregations with higher levels of resources—such as wealthier members, better-educated members, or larger memberships—are more likely to be connected to the core of the field and therefore more likely to have gender egalitarian practices in order to signal their legitimacy. Therefore, I hypothesize that women in resource-rich congregations will have greater access to volunteer leadership positions than women in congregations that are resource deficient. I analyze 70,942 individuals in 344 religious congregations from the 2001 U.S. Congregational Life Survey using multilevel modeling. I show that religious congregations with more members, better-educated attenders, and wealthier attenders have smaller gender gaps in volunteer leadership positions. Congregational resources can mitigate the gender gap in lay leadership, and women within resource-rich organizations have greater access to positions of authority.     

Caregiver's Spirituality and Its Influence on Maintaining the Elderly and Disabled in a Home Environment

ABSTRACT

This study examined the role that faith-based organizations play for caregivers in maintaining the elderly and disabled in their homes. The study explored if persons who use religious beliefs and practices cope with caregiver stress better than those who do not use religious beliefs and practices. The study also explored the role of religious coping as a factor affecting decisions to institutionalize, and the role that faith-based practices and organizations play in helping caregivers maintain the elderly and disabled in their homes.     

Interaction Ritual Chains and Religious Participation1

This article explores congregational‐level influences on religious participation by adding a distinctively sociological approach to the debate through the application of Collins’s interaction ritual chain theory—a reinterpretation and integration of Durkheim and Goffman—at a congregational level of analysis. Arguing that the congregational worship service can be understood as an interaction ritual, this article offers an initial exploration of the role of effective ritual in increasing religious participation rates. Using the National Congregation Study (1998) data set, the findings from the multiple regression analysis offer support for both interaction ritual chains and religious economies predictors on a congregational attendance ratio.     

The Organizational Context of Faith-Based Community Organizing: Effects on Member Civic Engagement

This article explores the congregation as a conduit for civic engagement. Specifically examined are the effects of participation in congregations engaged in faith-based community organizing (FBCO). Civic engagement is examined by comparing FBCO-affiliated congregation members to non-FBCO-affiliated congregation members, local school participants, neighborhood association members, and those without such affiliations. Findings reveal that those engaged in FBCO evidence higher rates of civic engagement than members of the other groups. Implications for the field and future study are discussed.     

On the Varying Meaning of “Open and Affirming”

Some religious denominations offer programs where member congregations can signal their acceptance of all gender identities and sexual orientations. The United Church of Christ (UCC) created one of the earliest of such programs in the mid-1980s by which congregations can adopt an “Open and Affirming” identity. However, there has been little research examining this program and how it has evolved over time. Research suggests that organizational innovations like the Open and Affirming program often become institutionalized over time, leading to changes in how the program is expressed or conducted. We examine Open and Affirming (ONA) congregations in the UCC to see if the manner in which they express their ONA identity depends on when they adopted the identity. We find that early adopters of such programs are more likely than later adopters to focus on sexual orientation. While this could be seen as a troubling pattern, we argue that it could represent greater awareness of the Open and Affirming program's meaning, which has allowed for greater flexibility in its expression.