Gold, Malcolm

About the author: Malcolm Gold is assistant professor of sociology at Malone College in Canton, Ohio. He was born and raised in England but moved to the United States in 1989. He holds a Bachelor degree in history and sociology from Birmingham University, a Master’s degree in philosophy and social theory from Warwick University, and a PhD in Sociology, also from Warwick.

Hybridization of an Assembly of God Church - Proselytism, Retention, and Re-affiliation

2003 0-7734-6597-9
This study provides a qualitative analysis of an Assembly of God Pentecostal church in the North East of England. The research employed an ethnographic framework incorporating overt participant observation and in-depth interviews over a one-year period. In addition, a number of other churches (of varying denominations) were observed. The study challenges former interpretations within the sociology of religion regarding membership and recruitment, and offers new perspectives. The project gives an account of a synthesis between classical Pentecostals and the Charismatic movement that is creating a distinct form of spiritual expression resulting in a hybrid church. Once the preserve of the working classes, Pentecostalism in Britain is now much more socially and economically diverse in its membership.