Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky, continues to be the largest church in the fellowship of Christian churches and churches of Christ.
Our annual megachurch chart is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s most popular features. This year there are more than 100 churches listed as megachurches (those with 2,000 or more in weekly attendance) or emerging megachurches (those with average attendance of 1,000 to 1,999).
Click here to look at the chart of the 2010 Megachurches and Emerging Megachuches.
I would contend that, since numbers matter, we change our man-made parameters of what constitutes a ‘mega-church’ or ’emerging mega-church’ from simple attendance numbers to percentages of the communities in which they exist. I would think that would be something along the lines of what God looks at – the saved and the yet to be saved. It is far too easy to fall into the humanity of celebrating tiny victories and hanging hats on total numbers when 90% of the rest of the towns and cities are wandering around potentially Godless.
Perhaps this is why we have such a discrepancy in overall participation in churches, the 80/20 rule, and the like – everyone grabs a bulletin, sees the giving numbers are over budget and the attendance is in the thousands, so what’s my responsibility?
If, however, members and visitors grab a bulletin and see “1%” – it spells out vision and a need for participation. Just something to think about. While we need to celebrate EVERY victory and the blessings of God, we may be focusing on the wrong number.
Agreed Steve. Incredible how short sited it seems this issue is. Maybe what we need is more definition or explanation on what the purpose of these numbers articles are all about. From the outside looking in we are calling those who have mega churches successfull and those working at not so mega churches as not meeting the standard. I have to believe that the impact on a community of 1000 or less in a rural setting is much more discernable than the impact on a community of 100,000 or more is. Which local church really is impacting community morals, values, and even local laws? Having said this I have worked in both the small town and the large city area as a minister. Both have unique challenges. Numbers don’t always say it all.