Host: Erica Dollhopf

Erica Dollhopf is the Associate Director of Research for Lake Institute on Faith & Giving at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University Indianapolis. Dr. Dollhopf received a Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.A. in American Studies from Lehigh University. She has authored numerous publications on congregations, congregational vitality, and faith-based nonprofits and she was awarded the Religious Research Association’s 2024 Outstanding Applied Research Award for her article on congregation vitality in the United Church of Christ. Dr. Dollhopf is the co-chair of the 2030 US Religion Census and the current president of the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.

Panelist: Besheer Mohamed

Besheer Mohamed is a Senior Researcher at Pew Research Center with extensive experience studying Muslim American communities. More broadly, his research examines religious identities, beliefs and practices in the United States, with a particular focus on the intersection of religion and race. He has led public opinion studies on the experiences and attitudes of Muslim Americans, a religious profile of Asian Americans, the religious composition of Hispanic Americans, and faith among Black Americans, among others. He also publishes regularly in scholarly journals and has authored book chapters for Oxford University Press and NYU Press. His insights have been featured in prominent media outlets such as CNN, NPR, Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Besheer holds a doctorate in sociology and a master’s degree in Middle East studies from the University of Chicago.

Panelist: Allison Norton

Allison L. Norton is the Associate Professor of Migration Studies and Congregational Life at Hartford International University, where she is co-directs the Hartford Institute for Religion Research and directs the Pastoral Innovation Network of New England. She is most interested in applied research that makes a tangible difference for religious communities and congregations. She is currently co-authoring a book titled Migrant God, Migrant Faith (IVP Academic) and serving as Co-Investigator on the Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations study.

Panelist: Gina Zurlo

Gina A. Zurlo (Ph.D., Boston University) is a Senior Researcher and Lecturer in World Christianity at Harvard Divinity School (Cambridge, MA). Her research interests include World Christianity, sociology of religion, quantitative studies, and gender studies. She is editor of the World Christian Database (Brill) and World Religion Database (Brill), and her latest books are Women in World Christianity: Building and Sustaining a Global Movement (Wiley-Blackwell) and the Compact Atlas of Global Christianity (University of Edinburgh Press, with Kenneth R. Ross and Todd M. Johnson). Dr. Zurlo was named one of the BBC’s 100 most inspiring and influential women of 2019 for her work quantifying religion and non-religion worldwide.