Say “megachurch” and “small country church” and just think of the comparisons those words conjure up. Let the “Six Flags over Jesus” jokes start now.
But new research has found that many of the ideas folks have about megachurches don’t match the realities. Among the misconceptions: that most megachurches are nondenominational; that they’re too “seeker-friendly” and not serious enough about theology; that they’re all huge and all alike.
The stereotypes are easy to slide into. But both the megachurch researchers and people involved with some of the largest Presbyterian churches say there is much that congregations of all sizes can learn from the megachurch experience.
That’s not a one-way street. Other studies have found that small congregations have real strengths too and much to offer — for example, in terms of helping people grow spiritually and involving people in congregational life. The Research Services office of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) says about six in 10 Presbyterian churches have an average worship attendance of fewer than 100 people.
But for those willing to put aside their preconceptions and pay attention, the growth of the nation’s largest churches can say a lot about the role of church in today’s culture. And growth is evident. The number of congregations of more than 2,000 members increased by nearly 50 percent between 2000 and 2005.
Megachurches have grown in part because they have responded creatively to the needs of the times and have not been afraid to change, according to Scott Thumma of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, who led the work on the recently-released Megachurches Today 2005 study https://hirr.hartsem.edu/org/faith_megachurches_research.html .
The worship styles, generally described as informal and exciting, are constantly evolving, the research found. The vast majority of large churches use contemporary elements in worship, including big screens, drums and electric guitars, and video clips incorporated into the message. Congregations growing the fastest are the ones that describe themselves as “most likely to attempt and embrace change,” the report states.
Many of the big congregations are distinctly evangelical and know what they stand for. While some critics view megachurches as having watered-down theology, nearly 9 out of 10 of those surveyed said their congregations hold “strong beliefs and values” and emphasize Bible study, prayer and personal devotional time.
The survey also found “evidence of a powerful attitude of racial integration at work,” the report states. More than half of those surveyed (56 percent) said they were working intentionally to become more multi-ethnic — and many seem to be making progress. On average, 19 percent of people from the congregations surveyed were not of the majority racial group and 10 percent of the congregations said they had no majority racial group.
“The bottom line for the numerical success of megachurches is that they attract and retain more persons over time than do other churches,” the Megachurches Today 2005 study states. “This might be due to marketing savvy or seeker sensitive profiles of a target demographic, but it might also mean that these churches are able to excite their members to tell others about their church, to invite their friends and neighbors at a greater rate than other churches.”
In addition to Hartford Institute, the study was conducted by Leadership Network: https://www.leadnet.org/ , a nonprofit group from Dallas that works to support church immigration and growth. The researchers contacted more than 1,800 churches and gathered complete data on 400.
Among their findings:
“¢ The United States and Canada have at least 1,210 Protestant megachurches with an average weekly attendance of more than 2,000.
“¢ The biggest concentration — 48 percent — is in the southern U.S., with another 25 percent in the West. The states with the most megachurches are California (178), Texas (157) and Florida (85).
“¢ The average attendance of all megachurches is 3,612. Four percent of the megachurches have attendance of 10,000 or more.
“¢ Just over one-third of the Protestant megachurches are non-denominational. Another 16 percent are Southern Baptist, 10 percent are “unspecified” Baptist and 6 percent Assemblies of God.
