Social groups are of benefit not only because they provide rules for living, but also
because social groups nurture, care for, and support their members. “Support” can be
anything from helping out with tasks around the home when someone is sick to
assisting someone in finding a new job, a dentist, or a day care provider; or it could
mean having someone to confide in and share feelings with. Religious congregations
are excellent at providing social support for their members. A Duke University survey
found that regular attendees at religious services report larger social networks overall,
more frequent telephone and in-person contact, and a stronger feeling of support from
all of the members of their social circles (Ellison and George, 1998). Religious
congregations are unique social institutions in that their membership cuts across the
entire life course; no other social institution regularly brings together the very old and
the very young and everyone in between.