Why mega church growth

The researchers also found that the large size of megachurch congregations is a benefit rather than a drawback, as it results in resources for state-of-the-art technology — amplifying the emotional intensity of services — and the ability to hire more qualified church leadership.

This is not like evangelical revivalism. Megachurches, which rarely refer to heaven or hell, are worlds away from the sober, judgmental aspect of the puritan meetinghouses of long ago, Wellman said. For more information, contact Wellman at or jwellman u.

A PDF of the paper is available on request. If you're trying to subscribe with a non-UW email address, please email uwnews uw. This comes on the heals of Outreach Magazine finding that the fastest-growing churches are growing faster than they have in the past. Have you noticed that? The other day, I highlighted recent research from the Leadership Network confirming that large churches continued to grow over the last year. I promised to share why I think large churches keep getting larger.

One of the factors that I believe leads to this momentum is the adaptability factor. You would think that a larger church would find it more difficult to embrace change. The reality is that large churches have gotten large for a reason, and one of those reasons is that the willingness to change methods is built into their culture. Not every large church has this in their DNA. I really believe the vast majority of large church have this ingrained into who they are.

So, when people think church services are boring and irrelevant to their lives, churches adapt and begin changing their worship services to reach new people. When the ministry environments have lots of people and the gatherings seem impersonal, churches adapt and begin offering a path for people to connect in small groups and serving teams.

When the culture shifts and raises the value of serving the hurting and the hopeless, churches adapt and begin engaging missional communities and strategies to impact people outside the walls of the church. When it seems people are less likely to attend services in a auditoriums that seat thousands in buildings that exceed financial feasibilities, churches adapt and begin gathering in multiple locations in smaller venues.

Throughout the years, there have been many folks that have talked about the eventual demise of the megachurch assuming these churches would never shift tactics and philosophies. The average megachurch in the United States had 4, regular attendees before the pandemic and seating for 1, Multisite megachurches tripled between and , now with 70 percent of megachurches operating as multisite and another 10 percent considering it.

As megachurches continue to grow, logistically they have to add services or locations to accommodate new attendees. The average US megachurch, according to the Hartford study, has 7. Abundant Life is planning to launch a third site in , having purchased a new building for the location prior to the COVID pandemic. Hartford Institute researchers conducted their survey before the US coronavirus shutdowns began in March.

That second location has its own staff, including a campus pastor. Not everyone agrees. The Well first branched into multiple sites in , but Bell says not all the sites they launched are still up and running.

He said simulcasting sermons from a pastor across the city into a different church was part of the problem. They total around 5, weekly attendees. Though Abundant Life does it differently, Pastor Hopper acknowledges that the same logistics that prompt churches to multiply—too many bodies for not enough seats—can create ministry difficulties.

And most fellow megachurch pastors would agree.