About the Project

Dr. Jerry Park is an associate professor of sociology and an affiliate fellow of the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a psychology major and sociology minor, and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in sociology at the University of Notre Dame. His research interests include the sociological study of religion, race, identity, culture and civic participation. Recent publications have covered topics such as racializing religious measures, religion and inequality attitudes, and Asian-American religiosity. Currently he is involved in major data collection efforts that oversample racial and religious minorities, and his research focuses on minority-serving congregations, racial and religious minorities’ views on white Christian nationalism, Asian American and Korean American identities, perceived racial and religious group threats including anti-Asian discrimination, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. His undergraduate teaching is in the sociology of racial and ethnic inequalities, migration, and at the graduate level, he teaches a seminar on the sociology of culture and religion, and the sociology of race, gender, and religion. He is president of the Association for the Sociology of Religion (2025-2026).

Dr. Stephanie Clintonia Boddie is the Fuller Family Endowed Chair for Social Justice and Associate Professor of Church and Community Ministries at Baylor University. She is faculty in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work and holds affiliations with George W. Truett Theological Seminary, and the Moody School of Education, as well as the Environmental Humanities program and the Digital Humanities program. Her scholarship focuses on congregations, faith communities, and religion’s role in addressing social challenges and strengthening civic life. Her interdisciplinary research examines congregation-based social services, faith-based initiatives, and how churches respond to issues such as food insecurity, health disparities, and community well-being. Boddie began her academic research as a doctoral student working with Dr. Ram Cnaan at the University of Pennsylvania on the first city-wide census of U.S. congregations, an experience that shaped her long-standing interest in congregational studies and religion in public life. She continues her affiliation with Penn through the Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society (PRRUCS). She is also a faculty associate at the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis and the Center for Equitable Family and Community Well-being at the University of Michigan, as well as a co-convener of the Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race.

In addition to numerous journal articles and reports, Boddie has co-authored The Newer Deal: Social Work and Religion in Partnership, The Invisible Caring Hand: American Congregations and the Provision of Welfare, The Other Philadelphia Story: How Local Congregations Support Quality of Life in Urban America, and Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness. Her most recent co-authored edited volume is Handbook on Religion and the Environment. She has also co-produced four short films, and her research has been featured in Time, Religion News Service, Urban Faith, and other national media outlets. Before joining Baylor in 2017, she held appointments at Washington University in St. Louis, University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Pew Research Center. She also served as Senior Consultant for the Faith & Family Portfolio at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, supporting initiatives focused on faith, family, and community well-being.

Brandon C. Martinez is a Professor of Sociology at Providence College. His research explores the interplay of race and religion, religious congregations, and the social impact of theological beliefs. He has published in several journals including Review of Religious Research, Sociology of Religion, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, and Socius. Brandon also regularly works with churches and denominations to translate his research into applicable ways. He is currently serving on the editorial boards of Review of Religious Research and Sociology of Religion. Brandon earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Baylor University in 2015.