A Fundamentalist Church as an Autonomous Community and Its Relationship to the Larger Community

Abstract

A small fundamentalist church was hypothesized to be definable as an autonomous community meeting many of its own needs. A questionnaire was used to study intra-community relationships, goals, and interaction with the larger community. The hypothesis of autonomy with little exchange with the larger community was confirmed while their primary goal, identified as bringing others to Christ was seen to be thwarted by separatism. An individual's role in the church was largly predictable by sex, age, and marital status. Adolescents’ responses suggested that neither their needs for spiritual guidance nor their social needs were being adequately met. Recommendations to further change were made and limitations of the study were discussed.