WHAT ABOUT MEGACHURCHES?

Hartford Seminary does much impressive research. Their latest published findings pertain to that significant and growing part of the Protestant landscape in America. The next section of this newsletter will be a summary Hartford does of their findings, followed by some Research Office observations of UMC megachurches.

New Research Debunks 11 Myths About Megachurches

According to a groundbreaking research study just released by Leadership Network and Hartford Seminary's Hartford Institute for Religion Research, many of the most widely held beliefs about megachurches could not be farther from the truth.

The Megachurches Today 2005 survey is the most thoroughly researched study of the Protestant megachurch movement in the United States. Since June 2005, more than 1,800 churches were contacted by e-mail, phone and mail, with complete data for more than 400 qualifying congregations received, tabulated and analyzed.

According to Warren Bird, Leadership Networks Director of Research, Based on the results of this survey, we are able to conclude that there are at least 1,210 Protestant churches in the United States today with average weekly attendance of over 2,000. That is nearly double the number of megachurches that existed five years ago.

While tremendously significant as a cultural study and as a how to guide for large churches, the survey also is instructive for churches that are anything but mega. Scott Thumma, Professor of Sociology of Religion at Hartford Seminary and primary architect of the survey, said, I am absolutely convinced that megachurches have blossomed, at least in part, because they have responded creatively to the new needs and interests of people in a new cultural reality. There is much to learn from megachurches and it isnt all about being big.

As Dave Travis, Executive Vice President of Leadership Network, also noted, Not a week passes without megachurches figuring prominently in one or more national news stories. During 2005 alone, four megachurch pastors had books on The New York Times bestseller lists. And megachurch pastors always dominate the lists of the most influential religious leaders in the country. The Megachurches Today 2005 survey provides the perspective that to date has been missing from most reporting on this movement.

The wide-ranging survey includes data on the many attributes that together define the nature and impact of megachurches in our society. Collectively, the results debunk 11 of the most common beliefs about megachurches, namely:

MYTH #1: All megachurches are alike.
REALITY: They differ in growth rates, size and emphasis.

MYTH #2: All megachurches are equally good at being big.
REALITY: Some clearly understand how to function as a large institution, but others flounder.

MYTH #3: There is an over-emphasis on money in the megachurches.
REALITY: The data disputes this.

MYTH #4: Megachurches exist for spectator worship and are not serious about Christianity.
REALITY: Megachurches generally have high spiritual expectations and serious orthodox beliefs.

MYTH #5: Megachurches are not deeply involved in social ministry. REALITY: Considerable ministry is taking place at and through these churches.

MYTH #6: All megachurches are pawns of or powerbrokers to George Bush and the Republican Party.
REALITY: The vast majority of megachurches are not politically active.

MYTH #7: All megachurches have huge sanctuaries and enormous campuses.
REALITY: Megachurches make widespread use of multiple worship services over several days, multiple venues, and even multiple campuses.

MYTH #8: All megachurches are nondenominational.
REALITY: The vast majority belong to some denomination.

MYTH #9: All megachurches are homogeneous congregations with little diversity.
REALITY: A large and growing number are multi-ethnic and intentionally so.

MYTH #10: Megachurches grow primarily because of great programming.
REALITY: Megachurches grow because excited attendees tell their friends.

MYTH #11: The megachurch phenomenon is on the decline.
REALITY: The data suggests that many more megachurches are on the way.

In terms of affiliation, the greatest number of megachurches are nondenominational (34 percent), Southern Baptist (16 percent) or Baptist, unspecified (10 percent). The remainder are scattered among Assemblies of God, United Methodist, Calvary Chapel, Christian, and other Protestant denominations.

The regions with the greatest concentrations of churches are south Atlantic, Pacific and western Central. Every region of the United States has some megachurches. The phenomenon is spreading outside the Sunbelt states.

Downloadable copies of the complete Megachurches 2005 Today survey (in PDF version) are available at both organizations web sites: www.leadnet.org and http://hirr.hartsem.edu. A 15-minute podcast discussion of key survey findings is archived at www.leadnet.org/links/podcast-MegachurchMyths.asp (end of Hartford summary of their study).

While specifics on how closely UMC megachurches track with these findings are not available, the methodology used and the similarities among megachurches across denominational lines suggest reasonable validity of these findings for UMC megachurches. The one unfortunate aspect of the study was that the researchers did not have access to official UMC statistics (they do now, through the Research Office) so ended up including more United Methodist Churches than truly qualify. For example, some churches contacted failed to distinguish membership from worship attendance. It is clear, though, that the proportion of UMCs to total megachurches is less than the proportion of United Methodist members to the total Protestant membership.

Official 2003 statistics (2004 will be released by GCFA imminently) indicate there are 29 UMC churches with attendance over 1800 and 32 over 1800. Their distribution reflects that mentioned in the Hartford study, though not in the West. These 32 churches represent a huge portion of the denomination, though less than 0.1% of all UMC churches. Their combined membership of over 230 thousand is greater than that of all but 9 Annual Conferences and combined attendance of over 98,000 is greater than all but 7. Another perspective of the magnitude of these churches is a comparison to the smallest churches in the denomination. Summing comparable attendance among the smallest churches requires over 6300 churches to reach 98,000. The largest of these has 23 in average attendance.

Of course, the difficult question is "So What?". For one, anecdotal evidence indicates many UMC members are leaving the denomination to go to megachurches. If there were UMC alternatives, would they go there? Another point is the huge impact these churches have on their communities and the denomination. In a declining denomination, more megachurches can help reverse the trends. These churches obviously do not simply materialize when hoped for, however. Even so, the likelihood of more of them developing is proportional to the focused effort to grow them.

Some would argue against their very being. The aforementioned myths are often the basis of these arguments, but other issues come to play such as whether congregants really find community in such a big setting. Viable small group ministry can accomplish this. Dealing with all sides of these issues is beyond the scope of this newsletter. Suffice it to say that megachurches are well established and seem to be a growing movement still. These very large churches are a growing part of the UMC. Mission and ministry takes place in them and they are attracting people. Maybe more of them does merit intentional effort for development.

©2006
Published by the Office of Research
General Board of Global Ministries
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