2016/01/01 by Jessica M. Barron
Social Sciences · #Religion and Society Interactions #Religion, Society, and Development #Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
paper · doi:10.1093/socrel/srv074
crossref issued 2016/01/01 · crossref published 2016/01/01 · crossref published-print 2016/01/01 · openalex publication_date 2016/01/01 · crossref published-online 2016/02/10 · crossref created 2016/02/12 · crossref deposited 2025/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
This study examines the organizational practices and experiences of congregational diversity in an evangelical urban church. Based on data collected using ethnographic methods over an 18-month period, this study suggests a principal organizational practice (managed diversity) employed by white church leaders produces complex and consequential outcomes for the racial experiences of congregation members. Specifically, the management of diversity results in three techniques integral to organizational outcomes that reveal the mechanisms by which race is conceptualized and manipulated to navigate new religious markets. This study contributes to ongoing scholarship about the conceptual apparatus that voluntary organizations engage to foster racial diversity.