AVERAGE WEEKLY IN-PERSON WORSHIP ATTENDANCE
Megachurches: 5,136 (22 churches)
Emerging Megachurches: 1,367 (37 churches)
Large Churches: 714 (49 churches)
Medium Churches: 361 (61 churches)
Small Churches: 159 (83 churches)
Very Small Churches: 51 (118 churches)
_ _ _
AVERAGE WEEKLY IN-PERSON + ONLINE WORSHIP ATTENDANCE
Megachurches: 6,375 (36 churches)
Emerging Megachurches: 1,393 (45 churches)
Large Churches: 705 (44 churches)
Medium Churches: 363 (57 churches)
Small Churches: 161 (87 churches)
Very Small Churches: 53 (101 churches)
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TOP 3 FASTEST-GROWING CHURCHES (2021-22)*
Megachurches:
67.4%: Southbrook Christian Church, Miamisburg, OH
53.8%: Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY
53.7%: The Crossing, Quincy, IL
Emerging Megachurches:
79.7%: The Refinery Christian Church, Goodyear, AZ
59.8%: First Christian Church, Decatur, IL
52.1%: River Christian Church, Fleming Island, FL
Large:
157.4%: Hill City Church, Boise, ID
56.7%: First Christian Church, Norfolk, NE
41.9%: Impact Christian Church, Woodland Park, CO
Medium:
71.5%: Southwest Christian Church, Springboro, OH
68.4%: Christ’s Church, Fort Wayne, IN
55.9%: Martinwood Christian Church, Council Bluffs, IA
Small:
128.7%: Parksville Christian Church, Parksville, KY
127.9%: Redwood Christian Church, Grants Pass, OR
114.5%: Emmaus Church, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Very Small:
78.6%: First Church of Christ, Fairborn, OH
75%: First Christian Church, Chelsea, OK
66.7%: 5th Street Church of Christ, Moultrie, GA
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TOTAL ATTENDANCE GROWTH RATES (2019 TO 2022)
Megachurches: 28.3%
Emerging Megachurches: 19.6%
Large: 8.6%
Medium: 8.6%
Small: 12.6%
Very Small: 1.0%
Overall: 11.4%
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TOTAL BAPTISMS (categorized by total attendance)
Megachurches baptized 12,503 people, an average of 347 baptisms per church.
Emerging Megachurches baptized 3,074 people, an average of 68 baptisms per church.
Large Churches baptized 1,487 people, an average of 34 baptisms per church.
Medium Churches baptized 1,089 people, an average of 19 baptisms per church.
Small Churches baptized 666 people, an average of 8 baptisms per church.
Very Small Churches baptized 253 people, an average of 3 baptisms per church.
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BAPTISM RATIOS
(number of baptisms per 100 in average weekly worship attendance)*
Megachurches: 6.1
Emerging Megachurches: 4.9
Large: 4.8
Medium: 5.2
Small: 4.8
Very Small: 4.4
_ _ _
TOP BAPTISM RATIOS*
Megachurches:
Parkview Christian Church, Orland Park, IL: 14.0
Compass Christian Church, Chandler, AZ: 13.9
Journey Christian Church, Apopka, FL: 12.0
Emerging Megachurches:
Whitewater Crossing Christian Church, Cleves, OH: 10.8
University Christian Church, Manhattan, KS: 9.9
Sunset Christian Church, Saint John, IN: 9.8
Large:
Clifton Christian Church, Clifton, CO: 10.5
Pikes Peak Christian Church, Colorado Springs, CO: 10.4
Corinth Christian Church, Loganville, GA: 8.6
Medium:
First Christian Church, Monticello, KY: 13.8
Fairdale Christian Church, Fairdale, KY: 11.1
Huron Christian Church, Huron, SD: 11.1
Small:
Ocala Christian Church, Ocala, FL: 27.9
Cross Bridge Christian Church, Dalzell, SC: 14.1
Valley Christian Church, Moorhead, MN: 13.9
Very Small:
Peeled Oak Christian Church, Flemingsburg, KY: 50**
North Baltimore Church of Christ, North Baltimore, OH: 20
Ubly Christian Church, Ubly, MI: 19.1
_ _ _
OVER THE PAST YEARLY GIVING CYCLE, TOTAL CHURCH INCOME . . .
Increased 30% or more: 6.4% of churches
Increased 20-29%: 6.3%
Increased 10-19%: 16.6%
Increased 1-9%: 29.5%
Stayed About the Same: 17.9%
Decreased 1-9%: 14.7%
Decreased 10-19%: 6.9%
Decreased 20-29%: 1.1%
Decreased 30% or more: 0.6%
Giving was at the same level or above for 77 percent of the churches reporting; giving decreased for 23 percent of the churches.
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AVERAGE START DATE OF CHURCHES
- Megachurches: 1964
- Emerging Megachurches: 1951
- Large churches: 1944
- Medium churches: 1942
- Small Churches: 1935
- Very Small Churches: 1930
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CHURCH LOCATIONS
An older residential area in the city (> 50,000 people): 12%
A downtown or central area of the city (> 50,000): 7%
A newer suburb around the city (> 50,000): 15%
An older suburb around the city (> 50,000): 16%
A city of 10,000 to 49,999, or in an area where a city of that size serves as a hub: 20%
A small town or rural community (< 10,000): 30%
_ _ _
* Based on total attendance
** Includes baptisms in their prison ministry
I would like to see a monthly accounting of baptisms reported in the CS, not by church like was published years ago, but by category as you have defined them numerically in this article. It gives readers an opportunity to celebrate in the moment the growth of churches in our movement like the report from Luke in Acts 4