{"id":105397,"date":"2026-01-23T00:02:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T00:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/crcc\/?page_id=105397"},"modified":"2026-10-23T13:16:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T20:16:08","slug":"stories-of-change","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/crcc\/stories-of-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Stories of Change in American Religion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s storytelling initiative is a joint journalism and academic venture to capture stories of leaders and communities that are adapting structures, creating new approaches or evolving their spiritual beliefs and practices<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The initiative’s journalism fellowship supports deeply reported storytelling<\/strong> on the diversity of religious life in America. Scholars will examine the collection of stories generated from the fellowship for themes and insights about the nature of social change and American religion.<\/p>\n

With an inaugural grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc.,<\/a> CRCC launches this initiative with an effort to tell 100 stories of change within American Christianity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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The Team<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Group<\/p>\n

CRCC is working with 5 scholars and a team of journalism fellows to collect stories of change in American religion across the United States. Ten local newsrooms are also partnering with Next City to produce solutions oriented stories on religious groups creating change on urban issues.<\/p>\n

Meet the Team<\/a><\/p>\n

Subscribe to CRCC’s Newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow their work!<\/strong> <\/em>Sign up for CRCC’s newsletter to find the stories they produce and learn about future opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\n\n \n Announcement<\/span>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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\n CRCC launches Stories of Change in American Religion Initiative\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Whether religious decline or revival, dominant narratives often shape media coverage about the place of religion in American culture. With a new initiative, the Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC) at the University of Southern California will support storytelling that goes beyond the headlines to tell stories of the diversity of religious life in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n

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\n\n \n Resource<\/span>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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\n A Guide to American Religion: Finding Stories of Change\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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This guide aims to help journalist develop rich story angles about change in American religion.<\/p>\n

You will find frameworks to understand religion’s role in society, statistics that undergird dominant narratives, the major groupings of American Christianity, and themes and story ideas. Questions throughout elicit reflection on what is happening in local faith communities.<\/p>\n

We look forward to hearing from journalists about the stories that answer our \u2014 and your own \u2014 questions about American religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n\n Read Our Guide to Finding Stories of Change \n <\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n
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\n Stories of Change\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n
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Below you will find examples of stories, commentary and events related to religious and social change from CRCC’s work. We will add stories that come out of this initiative as they are published.<\/p>\n

Sign up for CRCC’s newsletter<\/a> to follow stories of change in American religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n \n

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Click the arrows to explore<\/h3>\n \n
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