No Longer Crying in the Wilderness: Canadian Evangelical Organizations and Their Networks

Abstract

This dissertation establishes that Canadian evangelicals are no longer, if they ever were, completely isolated from each other and from the communities in which they operate. It explores how networks among evangelical churches influence the functioning of those same churches and their relationship with other organizations in the local community. It does this by examining the nature and structure of the networks evangelical churches are involved in, in one geographical location. It establishes who these evangelicals are, and how and why they interact with each other, and with other organizations in the local community. I conclude that there is significant diversity within the local Protestant religious community; that interconnections among churches can relate to organizational similarity but just as often, cross-denominational, theological, and size boundaries; that reasons for interaction are often functional, rather than based on characteristic similarity; and finally, that direct connections are relatively sparse but indirect connections are plentiful. These conclusions establish that different types of Protestant churches do not line up in two distinct camps opposite in focus in all situations.