The decentralization of American cities has resulted in the intersection of new suburbs and existing small towns. In these transitional areas, religious institutions face unique challenges of religious maintenance and adaptation. Suburbanites seek out small-town religious institutions for their historical continuity and religious meaning. Long-time small-town residents seek to preserve in their religious institutions a domain of continuity in the face of the surrounding social transformations. This dissertation is a case study of religious institutions in a suburbanizing small town. This case study provides a microcosm in which to see the changing institutional patterns in religious involvement, ideas, and social engagement in the United States. The project design is a three-tiered approach that examines changing patterns of religious membership and participation; alterations in practices, ideas and authority within a variety of religious institutions; and shifts in relations between religious and economic, cultural, educational, and governmental institutions. The study seeks to provide a nuanced account of the religious, social and cultural changes in America s new center of gravity--the suburban periphery.