In what year was your congregation officially founded? (National Congregations Study 2006-2007)
Each question was asked of a key informant from the congregation, such as a minister, priest, rabbi, or other staff person or leader.
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[Results weighted by W1] |
Related Topics
Demographic Patterns
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Year Congregation was Founded (Demographic Patterns)
Year Congregation was Founded by Adult Members
| 25 or Less | 26-50 | 51-100 | 101-200 | More than 200 | Missing | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1900 | 28.0% 52 | 20.0% 68 | 21.6% 77 | 30.1% 83 | 30.7% 78 | 0 | 25.4% 358 |
| 1900-1950 | 19.9% 37 | 30.3% 103 | 30.6% 109 | 25.7% 71 | 26.8% 68 | 1 | 27.5% 388 |
| 1951-1999 | 42.5% 79 | 37.1% 126 | 43.8% 156 | 38.4% 106 | 39.8% 101 | 4 | 40.2% 568 |
| 2000 or Later | 9.7% 18 | 12.6% 43 | 3.9% 14 | 5.8% 16 | 2.8% 7 | 0 | 6.9% 98 |
| MISSING | 14 | 34 | 19 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 88 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 186 | 100.0% 340 | 100.0% 356 | 100.0% 276 | 100.0% 254 | 5 | 1412 |
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Year Congregation was Founded by Political Ideology
| More on the conservative side | Right in the middle | More on the liberal side | Missing | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1900 | 23.8% 186 | 30.7% 142 | 22.9% 24 | 7 | 26.1% 352 |
| 1900-1950 | 29.4% 229 | 21.4% 99 | 38.1% 40 | 20 | 27.3% 368 |
| 1951-1999 | 40.6% 317 | 39.8% 184 | 33.3% 35 | 36 | 39.8% 536 |
| 2000 or Later | 6.2% 48 | 8.0% 37 | 5.7% 6 | 8 | 6.8% 91 |
| MISSING | 41 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 74 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 780 | 100.0% 462 | 100.0% 105 | 71 | 1347 |
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Year Congregation was Founded by Region of the Country
| New England or Mid-Atlantic | East North Central or West North Central | South Atlantic, East South Central, or West South Central | Mountain or Pacific | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1900 | 43.0% 83 | 21.9% 80 | 23.2% 155 | 21.8% 42 | 25.4% 360 |
| 1900-1950 | 24.4% 47 | 26.0% 95 | 28.9% 193 | 28.0% 54 | 27.4% 389 |
| 1951-1999 | 32.6% 63 | 46.3% 169 | 38.9% 260 | 41.5% 80 | 40.3% 572 |
| 2000 or Later | 0.0% 0 | 5.8% 21 | 9.0% 60 | 8.8% 17 | 6.9% 98 |
| MISSING | 5 | 21 | 48 | 14 | 88 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 193 | 100.0% 365 | 100.0% 668 | 100.0% 193 | 1419 |
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Year Congregation was Founded by Religious Tradition
| Roman Catholic | White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist | Black Protestant | White liberal or moderate | Non-Christian | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1900 | 38.0% 30 | 15.7% 109 | 24.4% 78 | 48.4% 133 | 18.4% 9 | 25.3% 359 |
| 1900-1950 | 39.2% 31 | 25.9% 180 | 29.4% 94 | 26.9% 74 | 22.4% 11 | 27.5% 390 |
| 1951-1999 | 22.8% 18 | 50.2% 349 | 35.6% 114 | 24.0% 66 | 49.0% 24 | 40.3% 571 |
| 2000 or Later | 0.0% 0 | 8.2% 57 | 10.6% 34 | 0.7% 2 | 10.2% 5 | 6.9% 98 |
| MISSING | 1 | 42 | 34 | 10 | 2 | 89 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 79 | 100.0% 695 | 100.0% 320 | 100.0% 275 | 100.0% 49 | 1418 |
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Year Congregation was Founded by Theology
| More on the conservative side | Right in the middle | More on the liberal side | Missing | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1900 | 24.3% 212 | 29.2% 114 | 26.5% 31 | 1 | 25.9% 357 |
| 1900-1950 | 26.9% 235 | 27.9% 109 | 31.6% 37 | 8 | 27.6% 381 |
| 1951-1999 | 41.4% 361 | 37.6% 147 | 35.9% 42 | 21 | 39.8% 550 |
| 2000 or Later | 7.4% 65 | 5.4% 21 | 6.0% 7 | 6 | 6.7% 93 |
| MISSING | 40 | 33 | 4 | 0 | 77 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 873 | 100.0% 391 | 100.0% 117 | 36 | 1381 |
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Year Congregation was Founded by Year
| 1998 | 2006 | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1900 | 29.5% 347 | 25.3% 359 | 27.2% 706 |
| 1900-1950 | 26.7% 314 | 27.4% 389 | 27.1% 703 |
| 1951-1999 | 43.9% 517 | 40.3% 572 | 41.9% 1089 |
| 2000 or Later | 0.0% 0 | 6.9% 98 | 3.8% 98 |
| MISSING | 56 | 88 | 144 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 1178 | 100.0% 1418 | 2596 |
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Notes
The National Congregations Study (NCS) dataset "fills a void in the sociological study of congregations by providing, for the first time, data that can be used to draw a nationally aggregate picture of congregations" (Chaves et al. 1999, p.460). Thanks to innovations in sampling techniques, the NCS data is the first nationally representative sample of American congregations. In 2006-07, a panel component was added to the NCS. In addition to the new cross-section of congregations generated in conjunction with the 2006 General Social Survey (GSS), a stratified random sample was drawn from congregations who participated in the 1998 NCS. The 2006-07 NCS sample, then, includes a subset of cases that were also interviewed in 1998. A full codebook, prepared by the primary investigator, is available for download here. The codebook contains the original questionnaire, as well as detailed information on survey methodology, weights, coding, and more.
