Latino Protestant Congregations Project
A three year research project designed to examine and illuminate the variety and complexity of Latino Protestant congregations and their worship practices in the United States through a qualitative approach.
As a joint endeavor of Davidson College and Calvin College, Prof. Gerardo Marti and Mark Mulder are conducting a team-based examination of Latino Protestants in the United States. The research design aims to illuminate the variety and complexity of Latino Protestant congregations and their worship practices in the United States through a qualitative approach. They have structured a methodology to pursue a national study that reveals the nuances of Latino Protestant congregational life. The motivation for a larger project on Latino Protestant churches comes not only from a realization of how distressingly little we know, but also from a conviction that direct observation and careful interviewing will challenge common sense assumptions and tease out what researchers, denominational leaders, and local church pastors should be paying attention to. The research seeks to draw data from all strands of Protestantism (Evangelical, Pentecostal, and Mainline), to be attentive to generational dynamics (new immigrants to well-established Hispanics), to notice alternative liturgical structures (language dominance, places of worship, styles of music and preaching), and to be sensitive to the levels and degrees of Catholic influence and resistance.
