The fourth wave of the National Congregations Study (NCS‐IV) was conducted in 2018–2019 with a nationally representative sample of congregations from across the religious spectrum. The NCS‐IV included a fresh cross‐section of congregations generated in conjunction with the 2018 General Social Survey and a panel of congregations that participated in the third NCS wave. Data were collected via a 65‐minute interview with one key informant from 1,262 congregations. The cooperation rate was 74 percent; the conservatively calculated response rate was 69 percent. Information was gathered about multiple aspects of congregations’ social composition, structure, activities, leadership, and programming. Approximately two‐thirds of the NCS‐IV questionnaire replicates items from previous NCS waves. This introduction to the NCS‐IV symposium describes NCS‐IV methodology and special features of the new data. The three symposium articles present NCS‐IV results about congregations’ political activities, racial and ethnic composition, and worship practices.

中文翻译：

---

介绍第四届全国会众研究

第四波国家会众研究（NCS‐IV）于2018–2019年进行，其样本来自全国各地，来自各个宗教领域。NCS-IV包括与2018年综合社会调查一起产生的新会众，以及参加了第三次NCS浪潮的一群会众。通过对来自1,262个会众的一位主要线人进行的65分钟的采访，收集了数据。合作率为74％；保守计算的答复率为69％。收集了有关教会的社会组成，结构，活动，领导能力和计划编制等多个方面的信息。NCS-IV调查表中约有三分之二重复了以前的NCS浪潮中的项目。NCS-IV座谈会的简介介绍了NCS-IV方法论和新数据的特殊功能。三篇专题讨论会的文章介绍了NCS-IV关于会众的政治活动，种族和族裔组成以及礼拜习惯的结果。