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By Kent E. Fillinger and Ben Simms
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Fastest-Growing Churches in 2008:
 “¢ The Crossing, Quincy, IL, 27%
“¢ Crosspointe, Cary, NC, 22%
“¢ Compass Christian, Colleyville, TX, 22%
“¢ Central Christian, Mesa, AZ, 22%
Fastest-Growing since 2003:
“¢ Parkview Christian Church, Orland Park, IL, 183%
 “¢ Real Life Ministries, Post Falls, ID, 172%
“¢ Crossroads Christian Church, Grand Prairie, TX, 101%
Fastest-Growing since 1997:
 “¢ Christ”s Church of the Valley, Peoria, AZ, 477%
“¢ Northside Christian Church, New Albany, IN, 371%
“¢ Central Christian Church, Henderson, NV, 307%
What  is “AVERAGE”?
The 54 megachurches” average size: 4,116
 The 63 emerging megachurches” average size: 1,419
All 117 churches” average size: 2,664
Total attendance of all 117 churches on an average weekend: 311,636
Total attendance for Easter 2008: 515,717
Total baptisms for all of 2008: 21,384
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State by State
Number of churches reported in each state:
 16″”Indiana
12″”California
10″”Ohio
8″”Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, Florida
5″”Colorado, Missouri
4″”Nevada, Kansas
3″”Idaho, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington
2″”Georgia, Oklahoma, Wisconsin
1″”Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee
27 states have a megachurch listed
Growth Percentage Overview in 2008:
1 church grew more than 26%
 20 churches grew 11 to 25%
15 churches grew 6 to 10%
26 churches grew 1 to 5%
7 churches were stagnating between 0.4 and -0.4%
21 churches declined 1 to 5%
9 churches declined 6 to 10%
5 churches declined more than 11%
Overall:
63% grew and 37% stagnated or declined
 The average 1-year growth rate was 2.8%
The 54 megachurches grew 3.5% in the past year
The 63 emerging megachurches grew 2.2% in the past year
Author: Christian Standard
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