Religious Organisations
Sociology: AQA A Level, topic 7.2.1
Churches and Denominations
Religious organisations can be defined as churches, denominations, sects and cults.
Churches
- Large, worldwide memberships.
- Long life spans; often centuries or even millennia.
- Have professional clergy.
- Have a multi-layered hierarchy structure.
Churches cont.
- Have inclusive memberships; people are often born into these religions.
- Can be linked to the state e.g. The Roman Catholic Church or Church of England .
Denominations
- Relatively large memberships; can be international, national or regional.
- Tend to originate as a sect but become successful enough to evolve into a large movement.
Denominations cont.
- Tend to be successful with the poorer communities.
- A variety of different denominations, some have long life spans such as the Methodist church, whereas others are more recent such as The Pentecostal church.
- They tend to have professional clergy and rely on volunteers.
Sects and Cults
Religious organisations can be defined as churches, denominations, sects and cults.
Sects
- Sects revolve around a charismatic leader.
- Usually have a short life span, especially if the leader dies.
- Tend to have small memberships.
- The majority of sects do not have professional clergy.
- Often demand total dedication from their followers.
- Can evolve into a denomination, if they gain wider popularity.
Cults
- Have small memberships.
- Tend to consist of people with like-minded world views.
- Are often wrongly confused with sects by the media and are often misunderstood.
Cults cont.
- Usually have a loose structure and therefore have no professional clergy.
- Rarely demand strong commitments and often focus on spiritual development.
- Sometimes demand a fee from followers.
Test yourself on Religious Organisations
Which religious organisation is often misunderstood by the media?
Which religious organisation often demands a fee from followers?