Megachurch growth
Megachurch growth refers to the significant increase in the size and influence of large Protestant Christian congregations, particularly in the United States, during the early twenty-first century. Defined by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research as congregations with a weekly attendance of at least 2,000, megachurches primarily emerged in suburban areas near rapidly growing cities. The majority of these churches are Evangelical and nondenominational, showcasing a contemporary worship style that often includes modern music and technologically enhanced services. Between 2001 and 2006, the number of megachurches in the U.S. more than doubled, with approximately 1,750 by 2020.
These churches often foster a sense of community through small groups and various service options, with some offering up to twenty-four services each weekend. While they generally attract congregants from other churches, they have also been credited with revitalizing church attendance among certain demographics. Financially, megachurches have substantial income, with a median of $4.7 million in 2014, primarily allocated to salaries, building maintenance, and mission programs. However, despite their growth in numbers, regular attendance has shown a downward trend, indicating a complex relationship between size and active participation in congregational life.
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Megachurch growth
Though institutions often took decades to reach megachurch numbers, many achieved this status in the early twenty-first century. Most were located near cities in areas experiencing growth. Many built fitness centers, bookstores, and other facilities for their congregations and offered multilingual services.
Most megachurches grew in newer suburbs of growing cities during the 2000s. The majority were located in southern states (48.6 percent) or the west (24.6 percent) by 2012. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research (HIRR) defines a megachurch as a Protestant Christian congregation that has a sustained weekly average attendance of at least two thousand people. The majority are Evangelical and nondenominational.
The number of US megachurches doubled between 2001 and 2006, from about 600 to over 1,200. As of 2020, US megachurches numbered about 1,750. Most megachurches drew the majority of their congregants from other churches.
These institutions were predominantly multiethnic and engaged in contemporary forms of worship, such as modern music and light shows. Many added buildings and facilities, creating a campus or a city within a city. Though megachurches have often been thought to feature arenas or stadiums filled with worshipers, many times members attend various smaller services—they could choose from an average of five a weekend by 2008. A few churches offered as many as twenty-four services a weekend.
During the mid-2000s, many megachurches changed the way they operated, focusing on small groups, eliminating television evangelism broadcasts, and widely using the Internet. Tremendous growth in creating satellite campuses began around 2003. Many megachurches prepared for transitions in the pulpit by increasing training for clergy.
Megachurches became as well known for their finances as for their size. The median income of a megachurch in 2014 was $4.7 million, slightly less than the median of $4.8 million in 2008. As of 2008, about half of the income was being paid toward salaries, about 25 percent was used for buildings, and much of the rest was devoted to missions and programs.
Impact
Though growth was the norm for many megachurches, at least one of the most prestigious faltered late in the decade. Crystal Cathedral Ministries in California, widely known for its Hour of Power television program and elaborate live pageants with animals, lost 29 percent of its revenue in 2009. It was bankrupt by 2012 and its properties were purchased by the local Roman Catholic diocese.
Megachurches were credited with bringing some Americans back to worship—in a 2010 survey by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, about a fourth of new attendees reported that they had not attended another church recently. The real basis of participation, however, seemed to be in fostering a sense of community. About one-fourth of churches with up to 1,800 members that were surveyed in 2015 said they had many lay volunteers at their church, while about 40 percent of adult congregants participated in the churches’ small groups on average. Such small gatherings, such as Bible study and mission teams, remained a hallmark of megachurches in 2020 and correlated to growth.
Though the number of megachurches grew through the 2010s, regular attendance was trending downward. In 2008, median percentage of weekly worship attendees to total participants was 95 percent; in 2020, it was just 68 percent.
Bibliography
Bird, Warren, and Scott Thumma. Megachurch 2020: The Changing Reality in America's Largest Churches. Available online at hirr.hartsem.edu/megachurch/2020‗Megachurch‗Report.pdf. Accessed 23 May 2024.
Lampman, Jane. “Megachurches’ Way of Worship Is on the Rise.” Christian Science Monitor. Christian Science Monitor, 6 Feb. 2006. Web. 27 Dec. 2012.
Neuman, Scott. "Megachurches Are Getting Even Bigger as Churches Close Across the Country." National Public Radio, 14 July 2023, www.npr.org/2023/07/14/1187460517/megachurches-growing-liquid-church. Accessed 23 May 2024.
Saurage-Altenloh, Susan. “Factistics: Megachurches.” Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications, 30 July 2010. Web. 27 Dec. 2012.
Scribner, Herb. "15 Biggest Megachurches in America." Deseret News, 4 Aug. 2014, www.deseret.com/2014/8/4/20545899/15-biggest-megachurches-in-america/. Accessed 23 May 2024.
Thumma, Scott, and Warren Bird. “Changes in American Megachurches: Tracing Eight Years of Growth and Innovation in the Nation’s Largest-Attendance Congregations.” Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Hartford Seminary, 12 Sept. 2008, hirr.hartsem.edu/megachurch/Changes%20in%20American%20Megachurches%20Sept%2012%202008.pdf. PDF. 27 Dec. 2012.
Thumma, Scott, and Warren Bird. Recent Shifts in America’s Largest Protestant Churches: Megachurches 2015 Report. Leadership Network / Hartford Institute, 2015, hirr.hartsem.edu/megachurch/2015‗Megachurches‗Report.pdf. Accessed 18 Nov. 2016.