What do we think about our future and does it matter: congregational identity and vitality.

Worshipers in a national random sample of 309 conservative and mainline Protestant congregations in the USA completed surveys during religious services in 2001. An index was created to capture a dimension of congregational identity: worshipers’ vision for their congregation’s future and their commitment to it. Results show that worshipers in conservative Protestant congregations are more optimistic about their congregation’s future than worshipers in mainline Protestant congregations. In both types of congregations, positive views about the future are associated with higher levels of worshiper involvement in the congregation. However, in conservative Protestant congregations a positive future‐focused identity is also linked to greater spiritual vitality. In mainline Protestant congregations, a positive future‐focused identity is more highly related to greater community involvement by worshipers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]