Faith and Community

Rebecca A. Glazier is Professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She is the Director of the Little Rock Congregations Study and the author of Connecting in the Online Classroom: Building Rapport between Teachers and Students.

“Glazier uses convincing new data to show that congregation-based public engagement can strengthen the membership and financial base of congregations, strengthen individual congregant well-being, and have a positive social-economic impact in the communities in which the congregations are located. I highly recommend Faith and Community.”-R. Khari Brown, Sociology Professor at Wayne State University, and coauthor of Race and the Power of Sermons on American Politics “Faith and Community is an excellent study of the realized mutual benefits that communities and houses of worship experience when congregations emphasize community engagement. Using both quantitative and qualitative research methods, along with analysis over time, this study of community engagement documents the endeavors, experiences, and consequences of such efforts among houses of worship in Little Rock, Arkansas. In so doing, Rebecca Glazier also makes a case for how the joint endeavor of professors and students engaging in studies of their local communities can be both academically advantageous and beneficial for the community in which such educational institutions are located.”-Corwin E. Smidt, Senior Research Fellow at The Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin University, and author of Pastors and Public Life: The Changing Face of American Protestant Clergy "This book provides an in-depth analysis of the impact of community engagement by religious congregations on their individual members, the congregations themselves, and the local society.... It offers an accessible look at how political science may help find solutions for social problems. Summing Up: Recommended."-Choice “Glazier effectively musters the data...to show that community engagement is correlated with positive effects at the personal, congregational, and societal levels. Her work is readable and engaging, and the thoughtfully chosen congregational case studies, seven in all, help to fill out the data with particular places and communities…. Faith and Community could easily find its way into an advanced course on congregational development or congregational vitality in a seminary or divinity school: its conclusions would be helpful for any who care about the life of religious communities."-Journal of Urban Affairs “Glazier presents practical and relatable stories of congregations that engage in their communities-stories that should inspire other congregations to do the same… Overall, the book shows Glazier’s commitment to the flourishing of the congregations in Little Rock. This is not an ‘at arm’s length’ study, but one where the researchers show a deep knowledge of and investment in the congregations they study. In the end, it was hard to disagree that congregational community engagement strengthens individuals, congregations, and communities.”-Journal of Contemporary Religion