Chapter 11 Urbanization and the Transformation of Migrant Worker Churches
A Case Study of Mount of Olives Church in Beijing
In: Shades of Gray in the Changing Religious Markets of ChinaSearch for other papers by Hao in
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Abstract
By taking the organized church (i.e., the congregation) as the unit of analysis, this research approaches the phenomenon of migrant worker churches from a sociological perspective. The research presented here how such churches in Beijing tend to be unregistered groups that are connected together. Urbanization has led to the rise of migrant worker churches and affects the congregations in terms of their access to resources, organizing principles, and cultures. At the same time, church leaders have actively pushed for reform and adapted their congregations to urban life. This analysis concludes that there is a strong reciprocity between urbanization and the organizational transformation of migrant worker churches.