Personal Prayer, Church Attendance and Social Capital among Rural Churchgoers: Quantitative Empirical Methods as a Tool for Mission and Ministry

Abstract

This study set out to explore the relationship between social capital, church attendance and prayer among a sample of 1185 adults who attended rural harvest festival services in a Church of England diocese in 2007. A measure of social capital was constructed and tested. Multivariate models controlling for age and sex demonstrated that higher frequency of church attendance predicted greater levels of social capital. Controlling further for church attendance it was demonstrated that greater frequency of private prayer was also associated with increased social capital. The implications for rural mission strategies are discussed and suggestions for further study, using a more substantial index for social capital and surveying populations in urban and suburban locations, are made.

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