Beyond the Congregation The World of Christian Nonprofits [Paperback]

Christianity in the United States has long been organized around congregations and denominations. However, a different type of organization operating outside of these traditional structures is claiming an increasingly important place in the religious market. The growth of Christian nonprofits, popularly called parachurch organizations, has been recognized by churchgoers and social scientists alike as an important development that is transforming the composition and dynamics of American Christianity. The size, resources, and activities of this population have made it the public face of American Christianity and altered the relationship between individuals, churches and denominations.Beyond the Congregationutilizes data on almost 2,000 of the largest and most influential Christian nonprofits in the United States to answer some of the key questions raised by these organizations. What explains the growth of Christian nonprofits? What activities are they pursuing? How are they funded and how do they use those funds?Beyond the Congregationprovides a much needed examination of these issues that is accessible and informative for scholars, nonprofit executives, religious leaders and the general public.

Chapter 1 Christian Nonprofits: The Religious Market's Other Supplier
Chapter 2 From Religious Societies to Public Charities: A Parachurch History
Chapter 3 Competition and Collaboration: The Market Dynamics of Church & Parachurch
Chapter 4 Parachurch Profiles: From Christian Cowboys to Donating Cows
Chapter 5 The Balance Sheet: A Financial Portrait of the Parachurch Sector
Chapter 6 Leadership and Accountability: Executives, Boards and Watchdogs
Chapter 7 Parachurch and State: Tax Laws, Government Funding and Nonprofit Lobbying
Appendix Data Collection Methods
Index

Beyond the Congregationis an informative, clear-eyed, and thoughtful overview of religious organizations that are neither churches nor delӜ