A Particular Place : Urban Restructuring and Religious Ecology in a Southern Exurb

A Particular Place tells the story of the dramatic changes that take place in the religious lives of a community faced with urban restructuring -- in this case, Dacula, Georgia, a once-quiet small town on the outskirts of Atlanta.

The demographics of Dacula were drastically altered by the population influx, service sector development, and housing expansion brought on by the growth of the metropolis.

Nancy L. Eiesland provides a qualitative study of how the local religious congregations altered themselves, their relations with one another, and -- over time -- their community in light of this disruption to their social order.

Eiesland accounts for these changes by examining the lives of area newcomers and long-time residents, discussing the responses of locals to the emergence of a megachurch in their community, investigating the wrenching processes of congregational births and deaths, and studying responses to community conflicts.

Applying population ecology approaches to the study of religious organizations within their local contexts, A Particular Place addresses two types of restructuring that are often mutually implicated but seldom addressed together -- urban and religious restructuring.

This book demonstrates all that can be learned from studious attention to a particular place.