Religious Polities as Institutions

This article explores the application ofneoinstitutional theory to religious organizations, focusing on howinstitutionalized myths and rituals ofecclesiastical authority influence members ' behavior and attitudes toward organizational policy. Research done on hierarchical and decentralized religious polities (which are structures of church government) reveal differential processes of informing parishioners about church policy. Hierarchical (or "tightly structured") religious institutions foster knowledge of organizational policy because of the myths and rituals of recognized ecclesiastical authority, while decentralized (or "loosely structured") religious institutions, whose myths and rituals focus on local autonomy, rely upon members ' external motivation for awareness of organizational policy. In part, this article argues for the theoretical usefulness of the application ofneoinstitutional theory to various organizational fields, such asreligious organizations. This article shows how the "new institutionalism " in organizational theorycan contribute to our understanding of how authority structures in religious