Word: membership
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...major new survey presents perhaps the most detailed picture we've yet had of which religious groups Americans belong to. And its big message is: blink and they'll change. For the first time, a large-scale study has quantified what many experts suspect: there is a constant membership turnover among most American faiths. America's religious culture, which is best known for its high participation rates, may now be equally famous (or infamous) for what the new report dubs "churn...
...polled defined their religious affiliation that way (including people who regarded themselves as religious, along with atheists and agnostics); only 7% had been brought up that way. That's an impressive gain, but Lugo points out that churn is everywhere: even the unaffiliated group lost 50% of its original membership to one church or another...
...groups to dilute their particular beliefs in order to compete. There are signs of that in such surveys as one done by the Willow Creek megachurch outside Chicago, which has been extremely successful in attracting tens of thousands of religious "seekers." An internal survey recently indicated much of its membership was "stalled" in their spiritual growth, Lugo allowed that "it does raise the question of, once you attract these folks, how do you root them within your own particular tradition when people are changing so quickly...
...nation’s first independent libraries. Created in 1806, it quickly became a huge success. By 1851, it was one of the five largest libraries in the United States. Past members include Ralph Waldo Emerson, class of 1821, and John Quincy Adams, class of 1787. Nowadays, paid membership is still required. The building retains its 19th century feel through its architecture and interior design, as well as its aged patronage and solemn security guard. Kellner’s depiction of the prestigious Athenaeum is modern, but not revolutionary. “In front of the director?...
...start of Summers’ tenure, HMI’s board counted among its membership several of the University’s key leaders, including the vice president for finance, the general counsel, and three members of the Harvard Corporation—the University’s top governing body...