By Kent Fillinger and Ben Simms
WHAT IS “AVERAGE”?
The 52 megachurches” average size: 4,019
The 61 emerging megachurches” average size: 1,441
All 113 churches average size: 2,628
Total attendance of all 113 churches on an average weekend: 296,926
Total attendance for Easter 2007: 486,677
Total baptisms for all of 2007: 19,107
STATE BY STATE
Number of churches reported in each state:
17″”Indiana
11″”California, Ohio
8″”Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky
6″”Florida
5″”Colorado, Texas
4″”Missouri, Nevada
3″”Idaho, Kansas, North Carolina, Washington
2″”Georgia, Oregon, Wisconsin
1″”Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia
26 states have a megachurch listed
FASTEST GROWING
Fastest-Growing Churches in 2007:
“¢ Hillside Christian, Amarillo, TX, 62%
“¢ Real Life Ministries, Post Falls, ID, 33%
“¢ First Christian, Springfield, OH, 29%
“¢ Manchester Christian, Manchester, NH, 26%
“¢ Central Christian, Henderson, NV, 24%
Fastest-Growing Churches since 1997:
“¢ Christ”s Church of the Valley, Peoria, AZ, 451%
“¢ Northside Christian, New Albany, IN, 334%
“¢ Central Christian, Henderson, NV, 286%
“¢ Canyon Ridge Christian, Las Vegas, NV, 239%
“¢ Indian Creek Christian, Indianapolis, IN, 206%
Fastest-Growing Churches since 2002:
“¢ Real Life Ministries, Post Falls, ID, 220%
“¢ Savannah Christian, Savannah, GA, 148%
“¢ Southeast Christian, Parker, CO, 99%
“¢ Northside Christian, New Albany, IN, 99%
“¢ Central Christian, Henderson, NV, 77%
Growth Percentage Overview in 2007:
4 churches grew more than 26%
17 churches grew 11 to 26%
19 churches grew 6 to 10%
19 churches grew 1 to 5%
6 churches were stagnating between 0.4 and -0.4%
28 churches declined 1 to 5%
12 churches declined 6 to 10%
7 churches declined more than 11%
Overall:
53% grew and 47% stagnated or declined
The average 1-year growth rate was 3.2%
The 52 megachurches grew 3.2% in the past year
The 61 emerging megachurches grew 2.5% in the past year
New Emerging Megachurches:
“¢ River Run Christian, Chuluota, FL, 1,221
New Emerging Megachurches (those falling below the 2,000 threshold):
“¢ Westlink Christian, Wichita, KS, 1,950
“¢ Christ”s Church of Oronogo (MO), 1,859
New Megachurches (those breaking the 2,000 barrier):
“¢ Eastside Christian, Fullerton, CA, 2,333
“¢ The Crossing, Quincy, IL, 2,284
“¢ Abundant Life Church, Happy Valley, OR, 2,246
“¢ First Christian, Canton, OH, 2,094
BAPTISM RATIO
2007 average ratio, baptisms per 100: 6.4
(This ratio had held close to 7.2 for a decade)
Top 5 churches with the highest baptism ratio per 100 (2-year average):
“¢ Parkway Christian, Surprise, AZ, 15.5
“¢ Tomoka Christian, Ormond Beach, FL, 14.9
“¢ Southpoint Community Christian, Trenton, MI, 13.8
“¢ Crossroads Christian, Grand Prairie, TX, 12.6
“¢ Abundant Life Church, Happy Valley, OR, 12.5
Most Baptisms in 2007:
“¢ Southeast Christian, Louisville, KY, 935
“¢ Shepherd of the Hills, Porter Ranch, CA, 789
“¢ Christ”s Church of the Valley, Peoria, AZ, 700
“¢ Real Life Ministries, Post Falls, ID, 603
0 Comments