Volunteering and civic participation among immigrant members of ethnic congregations: Complementary not competitive

This article explores the relationship between voluntary activity of first-generation immigrants who attend ethnic congregations and their civic participation outside their congregations. We distinguish between attendance and volunteering within the congregation and examine whether and how these concepts relate to civic participation in the wider community. To address this question, survey data from 495 first-generation immigrants who attended 23 ethnic congregations in the United States were analysed using a composite variable of civic participation. Our analysis suggests that volunteering within the congregation is significantly related to civic participation, while attendance is not. We discuss the implications of volunteering as a factor in facilitating civic participation, and hence integration, among first-generation immigrant members of ethnic congregations.