Seeking the Seekers in the Sociology of Religion

In the sociology of religion the terms “seekers” and “seekership” have been widely used in studies of recruitment and conversion, although with some inconsistency as regards definitions and conclusions. A distinction between “seekers” and “non-seekers” by independent criteria is rarely made. In this study of the Danish Baha'is the author applies a pragmatic characterization of seekership based upon a set of defined attitudes and behaviour of the Baha'is in their pre-Baha'i religious lives. A subsequent analysis of the conversion stories of 88 informants showed that of those who had responded to Baha'i advertisements or had been recruited through public meetings, nearly all could be defined as seekers. This indicates that the proportion of seekers among proselytes in religious movements partly depends on the mission strategy applied. Seekers also remarried more often than non-seekers, suggesting that the concept of seekership has the potential of being developed into a more general sociological category.