Sentence:  <WSD>Churches</WSD> can be strengthened through this process of co-optation so long as the environs of the church provide a sufficient pool of people who can fit the pattern of economic integration ; once the pool of recruits diminishes , the congregation is helpless - friendly contacts no longer keep it going . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship