Denominations still play a key role in congregational life,
research shows. Denominations will exist for the foreseeable
future, even though they may be more decentralized and take less
familiar forms, scholars said at a conference of the Society for
the Scientific Study of Religion. Many Americans no longer have a
deep loyalty to denominations, but congregations still value the
connections and resources they provide, the scholars said. In a
survey of 1,240 congregations, 80% regularly gave funds to their
denominations. Most still rely on their denominational publisher
for resources and said they value “various theological,
historical, and cultural components” of their denomination,
including beliefs, distinctives, and ways of expressing faith.

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