<P> This church - sect typology has its origins in the work of Max Weber . The basic premise is that there is a continuum along which religions fall, ranging from the protest - like orientation of sects to the equilibrium maintaining churches . Along this continuum are several additional types, each of which will be discussed in turn . </P> <P> Many labels are commonly employed by non-sociologists to refer to religions and tend to be used interchangeably . Sociologists, when speaking technically, will not use these labels interchangeably as they are designations for religions with very specific characteristics . </P> <P> These differing religions are often classified by sociologists as ideal types . Ideal types are pure examples of the categories . Because there is significant variation in each religion, how closely an individual religion actually holds as their ideal type categorisation will vary . Nevertheless, the categorisation scheme is useful as it also outlines a sort of developmental process for religions . </P> <P> Johnstone provides the following seven characteristics of churches: </P>

Tend to draw members from all social classes and are more mainstream than sects