#troeltsch

Types of Religious Organisation: The Sect

According to Troeltsch, the Sect is basically the opposite of The Church….

Key characteristics of sects according to Troeltsch…

They have significantly smaller memberships than churches

The membership base of sects is drawn from the lower social classes

Sects are not aligned with the state

 Sects do not accept the norms and values of mainstream society. Sects are detached from society, and in…

Types of Religious Organisation: The Denomination

H.R. Niebuhr (1929) was the first sociologist to distinguish between a church and a denomination. His distinction was based on a study of religion in the U.S.A.

Denominations share some, but not all of the features of churches.

Examples of denominations include the Methodists, the Pentecostals and the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

According to Neibuhr, denominations have about 6 characteristics:

Like…

Types of Religious Organisation: The Church

Ernst Troeltsch (1931) used the term ‘church’ to refer to a large, hierarchically organised  religious institutions with an inclusive, universal membership, typically with close links to the state.

According to Troeltsch* Churches have about 5 characteristics:

Churches tend to have very large memberships, and inclusive memberships.

Churches tend to claim a monopoly on the truth.

Churches have…