Antecedents of Member Commitment to the Local Church

Abstract

Abstract This paper reports a study of communication with other members, performance of volunteer jobs, and participation in groups as antecedents of commitment to a local congregation. A mail survey of a large congregation in the southwestern US provides the basis for the empirical analysis. Participation in small groups is found to be an important antecedent of commitment to the congregation. The results are discussed and implications for ministry in the local church are presented.