Bible Belt immigrants: Latino religious incorporation in new immigrant destinations

This article examines how three congregations influence the incorporation of Mexican, Colombian and Guatemalan immigrants in the South, where churches are central to social and civic life. By shaping various dimensions of assimilation, churches are intervening institutions that promote integration for some and hinder it for others. I argue that distinctions within rather than between Protestant and Catholic congregations drive how churches affect Latinos’ divergent pathways. The dynamics of a liberal Protestant congregation are more conducive to integration than those of more conservative counterparts. Similarly, the dynamics of a Catholic church with a grass-roots organization promote integration, while the hierarchical organization of other Catholic congregations delays incorporation.