This work discusses the relationships between ethnic entrepreneurship and membership in churchaffiliated social networks in immigrant communities. While the impact of social networks on ethnic entrepreneurial processes has been receiving attention in the literature, the effects of membership in religious organizations are still a relatively under-researched topic. The present study shows that the differences in the structure and funding of the churches, in the roles of their clergy, and in the content of their discourses are important factors to be considered while studying the impact of religion on ethnic entrepreneurship. The analysis is illustrated with qualitative data obtained in Brazilian communities in the U.S and suggests that Protestant churches create a more favorable environment for ethnic entrepreneurship. Our goal is to call the attention of Brazilian researchers to the importance of ethnicity and religious networks in entrepreneurial initiatives.
ethnic entrepreneurship; immigration; religion