The following data sets may be obtained by participants in the Harold Young Research Award competition. For further information or to obtain data please contact Nazarene Research Services by e-mail at research@nazarene.org, by telephone at (800) 306-9928, or by regular mail at Research Services, Church of the Nazarene, 17001 Prairie Star Parkway, Lenexa, KS 66220.
Nazarene Congregational Data
Nazarene churches annually submit data about their congregation. This data includes items such as membership, attendance, and finances. All the data since 1908 has been computerized and is available for studies.
Nazarene Ministerial Records
The Church of the Nazarene maintains extensive records for its US/Canada ministers. All assignments since 1985 are computerized, and can be made available for specific studies. Naturally, names of ministers or churches are not usually included in these databases, but assignment dates, ministerial status, and appropriate church statistics can be provided on request.
Faith Communities Today (FACT) Data
Nazarene data are available from the Faith Communities Today (FACT) cooperative research project representing 41 denominations and faith groups. FACT developed a common core questionnaire and allowed the participating groups to adapt the language of the questions to reflect their faith’s word usage and practice. From the Fall of 1999 to the Spring of 2000, participating groups administered the survey to a random sample of their congregations. A stratified, random sample of Nazarene congregations participated in the study. More information regarding the study is available at: http://fact.hartsem.edu/. A report of the Nazarene data is available at http://ext.nazarene.org/nazfact/factnazarenereport.pdf.
U.S. Congregational Life Study Data
The U.S. Congregational Life Survey was conducted in April and May of 2001. Deborah Bruce, Cynthia Woolever, and Keith Wulff directed this survey of more than 2,000 congregations and 300,000 worshipers in the United States. Richard Houseal directed the study in the Church of the Nazarene where more than 100 congregations and 6,000 worshipers participated. Data from this study may be obtained for Harold Young Research Award studies.
ANSR Poll Data
Periodic surveys of random samples of Nazarene pastors and lay members have been conducted by ANSR and Nazarene Research Services. Data from one or more of these surveys may be obtained for Harold Young Research Award studies.
The ARDA
The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) strives to democratize access to the best data on religion. The data collection includes American and international collections and developing features for educators, journalists, religious congregations, and researchers. Data included in the ARDA are submitted by the foremost religion scholars and research centers in the world. The data collection is available at http://www.thearda.com.