Places of worship are important anchor institutions in communities, helping to create social capital through discussion groups, soup kitchens, and neighborhood clean-ups. While congregations face increasing pressures, from declining attendance to political polarization, community engagement is an overall positive for their members and for democracy. Faith and Community shows the benefits of religious people taking action in their communities. Through more than a decade of multi-method data collection, Rebecca Glazier surveyed over 4,000 congregants and nearly 500 clergy in Little Rock, Arkansas to gather opinions from members and leaders on community issues and engagement. Together with interviews and case studies, her findings indicate that active congregants are happier and more civically involved. Faith and Community provides valuable insights into the relationship between religion and community engagement. The data illustrates how community engagement benefits individuals, congregations, and democracy and offers one solution to what ails religion in America today. "This book provides an in-depth analysis of the impact of community engagement by religious congregations on their individual members, the congregations themselves, and the local society.... It offers an accessible look at how political science may help find solutions for social problems. Summing Up: Recommended." — Choice “Glazier effectively musters the data...to show that community engagement is correlated with positive effects at the personal, congregational, and societal levels. Her work is readable and engaging, and the thoughtfully chosen congregational case studies, seven in all, help to fill out the data with particular places and communities…. Faith and Community could easily find its way into an advanced course on congregational development or congregational vitality in a seminary or divinity school: its conclusions would be helpful for any who care about the life of religious communities." — Journal of Urban Affairs “Glazier presents practical and relatable stories of congregations that engage in their communities—stories that should inspire other congregations to do the same… Overall, the book shows Glazier’s commitment to the flourishing of the congregations in Little Rock. This is not an ‘at arm’s length’ study, but one where the researchers show a deep knowledge of and investment in the congregations they study. In the end, it was hard to disagree that congregational community engagement strengthens individuals, congregations, and communities. ” — Journal of Contemporary Religion " Faith and Community is a powerful reminder of the importance of localized community engagement.... One of the book's strongest features is its methodological contribution.... On a deeper level, Glazier's book speaks to the scholarly debate over religion's contributions to democracy in the United States.... Faith and Community makes a powerful case for the benefits of church-based community engagement. It should be required reading for scholars...but its larger contribution may well be its service as a model for scholars interested in applied, community-engaged research." — Political Science Quarterly “Glazier uses convincing new data to show that congregation-based public engagement can strengthen the membership and financial base of congregations, strengthen individual congregant well-being, and have a positive social-economic impact in the communities in which the congregations are located. I highly recommend Faith and Community .” — R. Khari Brown , Sociology Professor at Wayne State University, and coauthor of Race and the Power of Sermons on American Politics   “ Faith and Community is an excellent study of the realized mutual benefits that communities and houses of worship experience when congregations emphasize community engagement. Using both quantitative and qualitative research methods, along with analysis over time, this study of community engagement documents the endeavors, experiences, and consequences of such efforts among houses of worship in Little Rock, Arkansas. In so doing, Rebecca Glazier also makes a case for how the joint endeavor of professors and students engaging in studies of their local communities can be both academically advantageous and beneficial for the community in which such educational institutions are located.” — Corwin E. Smidt , Senior Research Fellow at The Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin University, and author of Pastors and Public Life: The Changing Face of American Protestant Clergy Rebecca A. Glazier is a Welfare and Self-Reliance Manager for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A former Professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, she is the Director of the Little Rock Congregations Study and the author of Connecting in the Online Classroom: Building Rapport between Teachers and Students .