Lara Rusch ~ 5
This research also considers how lay people make sense of authority within
congregations in reference to salient inequalities in the larger society. Their stories point
to forms of support and intervention that they felt they needed in order to get involved in
politics, suggesting a complex relationship between traditional authority and lay
empowerment. Support from the larger community and of the religious authority figure
can operate almost as displaced efficacy for a person who is new to politics, or
marginalized from it. When people do not believe in themselves as political actors, the
confidence and support of others makes a difference. In an organizing process that
advocates learning on one’s feet, action can actually precede the presence of extensive
skills and political knowledge. The experience of political action supports the
development of skills and knowledge as people learn about the political system through
hands-on involvement.
Making sense of religious hierarchy and authority for participation
Most political science research on the power dynamics of religious institutions
focuses on religious hierarchy. Existing research considers how the presence or absence
of hierarchical structure (such as a Catholic diocese) matters for participants’ individual
civic and political engagement (Jones-Correa and Leal 2001; Verba, Schlozman, and
Brady 1995). This section briefly reviews different scholarly approaches to studying the
relationship between hierarchy and American lay political participation, and the kinds of
evidence those approaches have produced.
In Voice and Equality, Verba, Schlozman, and Brady (1995) report that
Protestants are three times more likely to report an opportunity to build civic skills in
Convention