Appendices
Appendix A : Data Collection Process and Research Methodology
Determining Valuation Methodologies Valuation methodologies were based on previous research conducted by Partners for Sacred Places and Dr . Ram Cnaan , University of Pennsylvania . Partners interviewed experts and reviewed relevant literature to determine the best methodology for assessing the monetary value of each economic impact . They identified the different types of economic contributions and translated them into a monetary value . Assigning these values was a difficult task . They needed to untangle congregational contributions from other factors , such as family or community . In doing so , they developed their own methodology , matching contributions with published economic valuations , and when those were unavailable , proxy measurements . Even then , not every contribution could be monetized , and they were noted and used to provide important context as the operations and benefits of active congregations and their sacred places . For a detailed explanation , see “ If you do not count it , it does not count : a pilot study of valuing urban congregations ” published in the Journal of Management , Spirituality , and Religion . 22
The research team at UNC Charlotte Urban Institute conducted a literature review to understand the rural context and to determine if there were any other economic contributions ( apart from those already identified in the urban studies ) rural churches make to their local community . This review gave the research team additional context as it related to the halo components that have already been identified in previous studies , such as additional context about the various community serving programs offered by rural churches , and their use of open space . Existing values used for monetization were updated where applicable to reflect the study location , North Carolina . The UNC Charlotte researchers then worked with staff at Partners for Sacred Places to update the survey instrument and revise the values in the spreadsheet used to calculate the economic value .
Selecting Congregations Congregations were selected by utilizing a random sampling of the 1,283 rural United Methodist congregations eligible for the Duke Endowment ’ s Rural Church program . The Duke Endowment used rural-urban commuting codes to determine which churches are rural . Since this is the first study of rural churches of its kind , a simple random sample was taken to ensure that a variety of rural communities could be represented .
Researchers at the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute created randomized lists of congregations , and 90 churches were invited by Partners for Sacred Places to participate in the comprehensive interview . Ultimately , 87 congregations were included in the study . Three congregations were unable to complete the interview process and were dropped from the study . A sample size of 90 , out of 1,283 total congregations was determined to be both logistically feasible and large enough for results to be representative with a margin of error of +/ - 10 %
Interview Process and Protocols Partners ’ staff served as field researchers and utilized their expertise in data collection and recording procedures . Partners ’ staff has conducted a number of congregational economic assessments in the past using these same procedures .
To secure interviews , Partners ’ staff worked with the United Methodist Church District Superintendents to contact the selected churches in their districts . Efforts were made to reach the congregational representative via three methods : phone calls , additional emails , and referral by the district superintendent . If a congregation could not be reached or declined , Partners ’ staff reached out to the next randomly selected alternative in the same district , repeating the process described above .
Most interviews were conducted with senior clergy , and lasted about three hours . Due to travel restrictions related to
22 Cnaan , R . A ., Forrest , R ., Carlsmith , J ., & Karsh , K ., 2013
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