One under God? Religious Entrepreneurship and Pioneer Latino Immigrants in Southern Louisiana

Studies of immigrants & religion tend to focus on established communities, organized as de facto congregations. In the early days of the development of an ethnic community, however, the provision of religious needs is more likely to come from existing local congregations. Using the model of reli...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSociological spectrum Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 279 - 301
Main Author Campion, Patricia
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 01.04.2003
Subjects
Baptists
Congregations
Immigrants
Latin American Cultural Groups
Louisiana
Missionaries
Rural Areas
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Summary:Studies of immigrants & religion tend to focus on established communities, organized as de facto congregations. In the early days of the development of an ethnic community, however, the provision of religious needs is more likely to come from existing local congregations. Using the model of religious economies, I analyze the case of a Baptist mission ministering to Latino immigrants in a rural southern LA town. The pioneer immigrants constitute a change in religious demand, an area not considered by the economic model. They constitute a market niche for local religious entrepreneurs. Given the characteristics of this new community, however, a modified version of the de facto congregation will emerge, where professional clergy is not involved. Relying on participant observation & interviews with the parties involved, I describe the challenges that pioneer immigrants present for a religious entrepreneur. 34 References. Adapted from the source document.
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ISSN:0273-2173
DOI:10.1080/02732170390132253