This article explores congregational growth and decline from the perspective of long-term members, drawing on personal interviews and fieldwork in a mainline, evangelical and Orthodox congregation. In these, we find distinctive patterns of stability, growth and decline, largely related to congregational demographics and leadership change consistent with findings from previous research. Yet when we shift the perspective from that of the pulpit (number of members) to the view from the pew (continuity of community) a different picture emerges—one focused on the salience of relationships within congregations. This approach challenges the methodological focus on net growth and decline as a way of assessing congregational stability and change. We argue that regardless of whether congregations are growing or shrinking, the experience of worship is shaped by continuity of community—and that continuity, more than size, creates an enduring and sense of connection helps explain why people choose not to circulate, but rather stay.

中文翻译：

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连续性和社区：三个会众的成员流动、增长和下降的分析

本文从长期成员的角度探讨了会众的成长和衰落，借鉴了主线、福音派和东正教会众中的个人访谈和实地考察。在这些中，我们发现了稳定、增长和衰退的独特模式，主要与会众人口统计和领导层变化有关，这与之前的研究结果一致。然而，当我们将视角从讲坛（成员人数）的视角转移到长凳（社区的连续性）的视角时，就会出现不同的画面——专注于会众内部关系的显着性。这种方法挑战了将净增长和下降作为评估会众稳定性和变化的方法的方法论。我们认为，无论会众是在增加还是在减少，