Board sees first results from sociological study of Brethren.

The General Board was the first group to see results from the comprehensive "Brethren Member Profile 2006," presented by Carl Desportes Bowman, project director, and professor of Sociology at Bridgewater (Va.) College. The study, based at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College’s Young Center for the Study of Anabaptist and Pietist Groups, has been supported by the Annual Conference agencies, with generous funding also from the other denominations included in the broader "Church Member Profile" project: the Mennonite Church USA and the Brethren in Christ.

Bowman emphasized that the survey is "a study of who we are, not who we would like to be," as he presented a wide range of information about how it was carried out, the variety of questions asked and topics addressed, and what may be discovered using the data.

"This is all very much in process," Bowman said, explaining that he is still working on processing the data. A full report of the study will come in the form of a book he is writing for Brethren Press, and an article or series to be published in "Messenger" magazine. More than 20 years ago, Bowman also carried out a comprehensive survey of the denomination, which was published as a Brethren Press booklet and in a series of "Messenger" articles in 1986.

The current study is based on questionnaires returned by a scientific sample of 1,826 Brethren members across the mainland US. All 23 districts are represented, and 127 congregations are represented. The survey was carried out between February and May, 2006. With a return rate of just over two-thirds, "I'm elated, and very confident in the data," Bowman said.

Commenting that, "I'm a sociologist, and I like to think about where Brethren stand as opposed to the rest of society," Bowman responded to General Board members who wondered about the source and reasoning behind some of the questions. Some questions were repeated from the 1986 survey to compare trends over time, he explained, while others were asked to provide comparative data with other denominations.

Some general findings: Brethren are "overwhelmingly white, and residing in non-urban settings" with only three out of 100 congregations classified as ethnic or urban. The leading states in terms of numbers of Brethren are Pennsylvania first, Virginia second, and Ohio third, with nearly two-third of all Brethren (63 percent) residing in just four states: Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia. Sixty percent of the church is female; two-thirds are 50 or older; 70 percent live in a small town or open country. Half have been members for more than 30 years, while 20 percent have been members for 10 years or less.

Survey questions also focused on issues of Brethren identity, attitudes about Annual Conference and the effect of Conference attendance on members’ satisfaction with Brethren agencies, the respondents' theology such as views of Jesus and salvation, the peace witness, importance of moral and ethical issues, and faith commitments. Other questions addressed political views as well as views on controversial issues including abortion and homosexuality.

The length of the survey--20 pages--allows cross referencing of answers on a variety of questions, and allows researchers to "contextualize" answers, Bowman explained. For example, survey results may be used to study how those who are inactive members (20 percent) vary from those who are active in the church, in their responses to particular questions.

Like all survey data, the Brethren Member Profile results will be subject to a variety of interpretations, Bowman noted. For example, when responses by frequent attenders at Annual Conference are compared to the answers of non-attenders with reference to the peace witness, 78 percent of frequent attenders agree with the declaration that "All war is sin," while only 46 percent of non-attenders agree. The comment prompted one person in the meeting to offer his interpretation, that Annual Conference may not be representative of the denomination. Another person quickly offered a different interpretation: that Annual Conference and Conference attendance may be very important in creating Brethren identity.

Bowman noted that the full survey results will be published during the upcoming celebration of the church's 300th anniversary. "We need to celebrate and be realistic at the same time," he said as he concluded his report.

Source: 3/14/2007 Newsline