Cornerstone Christian Church in Shiloh, Illinois, grew 28 percent in 2009, making it the fastest-growing large church in our survey.
By Kent E. Fillinger
What”s in a name? Abram became Abraham and Sarai become Sarah in the Old Testament, and Simon became Peter and Saul became Paul in the New Testament. Name changes were common in the Bible when God altered the purpose or role of an individual.
Christian Standard has reported the average weekly attendance and the total number of baptisms annually for churches that average 1,000 or more in weekly attendance since 1997. Several years ago, the size designation of a megachurch shifted from 1,000 to 2,000 in attendance. Therefore, the term emerging megachurch was developed for churches that average 1,000 to 1,999 weekly. Some church analysts have designated churches with 10,000 or more in attendance as gigachurches.
Labeling churches based on size and designating the appropriate groupings is somewhat of a transitory process. 3:STRANDS Consulting partnered with Christian Standard last year to produce the first-ever research-based profile of Christian churches and churches of Christ with an average worship attendance of 500 to 999, and at the time we chose to call them medium-sized churches.
Using the biblical precedence of changing names, and also to provide a more fluid designation based on size, we have decided to reclassify churches that average 500 to 999 as large-sized churches in this special report. From now on we”ll label churches with an average worship attendance of 250-499 as medium-sized. Churches fitting that category will be profiled next week in the new medium-sized church report.
All of the congregations included in this week”s report were self-nominated and were required to complete the same survey we provide to megachurches and emerging megachurches. The churches included in this report do not constitute all of the large-sized Christian churches and churches of Christ, but together they make a sufficient sample to provide clear data for analysis and application.
Growth and Attendance
Nine additional churches participated in this year”s large-sized church survey, for a total of 75 churches reporting 2009 data. The average worship attendance of these churches was 726″”3 percent more than 2008.
The growth rate for these churches slowed from 6.2 percent in 2008 to 3.8 percent last year. Compared to the other size divisions studied (e.g., megachurch, emerging megachurch, and medium-sized), the large-sized churches had the weakest growth rate for 2009. The fastest-growing church in this group last year was Cornerstone Christian, Shiloh, Illinois, which grew 28 percent. Close behind was Boulevard Christian, Muskogee, Oklahoma, which grew 27 percent. Overall, 64 percent of the large-sized churches grew last year compared with 74 percent in 2008.
The three fastest-growing large churches over the last three years (2007-09) grew at twice the rate of the three fastest-growing megachurches during the same time period. For example, the fastest-growing large-sized church, Twin Oaks Christian, Woodhaven, Michigan, grew 162 percent in three years compared to the fastest-growing megachurch, which grew 80 percent.
The following six churches receive the “Sustainability Award” for growing 10 percent or more in each of the last three years: Lakeshore Christian, Antioch, Tennessee; Whitewater Crossing Christian; Cleves, Ohio; Journey Christian, Midlothian, Virginia; Twin Oaks Christian in Michigan; Discovery Christian, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania; and the Christian Church of Jasper (Indiana).
Baptisms
Despite a slower growth rate, the large-sized churches experienced an increase in both the total number of baptisms and the average number of baptisms per church. A total of 3,484 baptisms were recorded in 2009 for an average of 48 baptisms per church””that is a 17 percent increase from the year before. The baptism ratio (the number of baptisms per 100 people in attendance) increased from 5.9 to 6.5 last year. Even with the increased number of baptisms, however, the large-sized churches had the lowest baptism ratio of any of the church groupings studied.
The “Baptism per Buck Award” went to Twin Oaks Christian for the second year in a row; the church spent only $7,204 per baptism. Twin Oaks also had the highest baptism ratio, a two-year average of 13.8. Comparatively, the average large-sized church spent $26,284 per baptism last year, a 9 percent decrease from the prior year. Still, the large-sized churches spent the most per baptism of any church grouping studied. On the high end of the continuum, one large-sized church spent $98,000 per baptism.
Holding a special baptism service during a worship service was a growing trend among megachurches last year (see “Mega See, Mega Do” in the April 11/18, 2010, Christian Standard), but only 24 percent of the large-sized churches conducted such a service. The positive impact of holding a special baptism service during a worship service was still evident, however. The churches that conducted such a service during the year had a baptism ratio of 7.6, compared with a baptism ratio of 6.4 for the churches that did not.
Senior Ministers
The senior ministers of the large-sized churches were the youngest and least tenured of any of the church groupings studied. The average age of these large-sized church senior ministers was 47.1 years old, compared to 49.7 for the average megachurch and emerging megachurch senior ministers. The average start date of these large-sized church leaders was 2000; for their megachurch and emerging megachurch counterparts it was 1996.
Among the large-sized churches, the best growth rates were for churches with senior ministers who are 30 to 39 years old (9 percent), followed by churches with senior ministers who are 40 to 44 (5 percent). The research for all of the church groupings continues to show that growth potential noticeably dissipates after a senior minister turns 50 years old.
The most effective years of growth occurred during the minister”s eighth to 10th years (it is the second consecutive year data has shown this). The 2009 growth rate for large-sized churches with senior ministers in that tenure range was 11 percent. The consistent trend for the last several years among all of the church groupings is that long-term ministries do not equate to consistent church growth.
Worship Venues
The larger the church, the more likely it is to hold worship services in more than one room or building on the same campus. For example, 60 percent of megachurches used multiple worship venues on one campus compared with only 29 percent of emerging megachurches. The percentage dropped again””to 22 percent””for large-sized churches.
The average number of worship services offered each week also correlates with church size. The average megachurch had 6.3 services per week compared with 3.4 services at emerging megachurches, while the average large-sized church held 2.8 worship services each week in 2009.
One large-sized church offered only one worship service, but 16 churches offered four services a week. These 16 churches had the best average growth rate (5.1 percent), the highest average worship attendance (813), and the best baptism ratio (7.0) compared to the large-sized churches that offered one, two, or three worship options weekly.
The majority of these large-sized churches (58 percent) offered only one style of worship while 8 percent of the churches offered three worship styles.
Multisite Ministry
The multisite trend has yet to sweep through the large-sized churches (and possibly never will). Six large-sized churches had a multisite ministry model last year, which is one more than in 2008, but it is still the same percentage overall of large-sized multisite churches. The average growth rate for this handful of multisite churches was slightly better than the single-site churches (5 percent compared to 4 percent). Surprisingly, the average attendance of these multisite churches was smaller than the single-site churches, and 76 percent of the people who attend these multisite churches go to the main/original campus. Four churches indicated definite plans to launch a multisite model sometime this year.
Finances
Given the recession, it is encouraging to report that the average per church total giving increased slightly from $1.15 million to $1.16 million in 2009. Another positive financial mark for the large-sized churches was in the area of capital campaign or building fund giving. A smaller percentage of churches reported capital campaign giving last year””67 percent compared to 98 percent in 2008. Yet, the average per church giving for capital campaigns increased 31 percent in 2009 ($170,000 per church compared to an average of $130,000 per church in 2008).
Conclusion
Each church is unique and each church has a story to tell. In addition to this overview article, three large-sized churches are profiled in this issue to help you look beyond the numbers and be inspired and encouraged by these churches” stories. Also, hopefully in the midst of the abundance of statistical data presented, you can glean some helpful information to generate several strategic conversations with the leaders at your church.
__________
Kent E. Fillinger is president of 3:STRANDS Consulting and associate director of projects and partnerships with CMF International, Indianapolis, Indiana.
0 Comments