2008 Church Growth Statistics from Medium-Sized Churches
This article gathers notable comparisons and statistics from the 2008 Medium-Sized Church Report. It highlights attendance, growth, baptisms, Easter participation, and leadership-age trends among surveyed churches.
- The combined attendance of surveyed medium-sized churches was smaller than that of the four largest megachurches.
- Whitewater Crossing Christian, Christian Church of Jasper, and Discovery Christian were listed as the three fastest-growing churches in 2008.
- Twin Oaks Christian had both the fastest two-year growth and the most baptisms in 2008.
Compiled by Ben Simms
A COMPARISON: The combined attendance of the 66 medium-sized churches we surveyed, 46,392, is smaller than the combined attendance of the four largest megachurches.
OUR NORTHERN NEIGHBORS: It’s been said a Canadian church of 500 should be considered a “megachurch.” Hats off to the two north-of-the-border churches on the list: Churchill Meadows Christian in Mississauga, Ontario, and Bow Valley Christian in Calgary, Alberta.
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE: The combined megachurch attendance roughly equals the population of Cincinnati, Ohio, while the combined attendance of the medium-sized churches that participated in our survey is approximately the population of Covington, Kentucky, Cincinnati’s cross-river neighbor.
Fastest-Growing Churches
Three fastest-growing churches in 2008:
Whitewater Crossing Christian, Cleves, OH, 66 percent
Christian Church of Jasper (IN), 45 percent
Discovery Christian, Cranberry Township, PA, 28 percent
Fastest-growing church over the past two years:
Twin Oaks Christian, Woodhaven, MI, 132 percent (increasing from 282 to 654)
Baptisms and Easter Attendance
Most baptisms in 2008:
Twin Oaks Christian, Woodhaven, MI, 91
Bettendorf (Iowa) Christian, 76
Christian Church in the Wildwood, Weeki Wachee, FL, 76
Whitewater Crossing Christian, Cleves, OH, 76
EASTER: More than 71,176 attended an Easter service at these medium-sized churches in 2008, enough to fill the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Senior Minister Ages
FOR THE AGES: The average age of the medium-sized church senior ministers was 47, meaning he would have been born when John Kennedy was president.
The oldest senior minister was 69, meaning he was born prior to World War II when the top movies were Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz and Franklin Roosevelt was president.
The youngest senior minister was 32, meaning he was born after the Vietnam War ended, the top movie was Rocky, and Jimmy Carter was president.
Ben Simms serves as executive administrator for the Miamisburg (Ohio) Christian Church.
This article is part of The 2008 Medium-Sized Church Report: Deluxe Edition, which is available as a downloadable resource at http://www.standardpub.com/detail.aspx?ID=4260 for only $14.99. Item number D021535910.
This report contains complete survey findings that will help you evaluate your ministry and strengthen your church. Topics covered in the report include:
- Attendance and growth trends
- Baptism ratios and trends
- Leadership profiles of the senior ministers
- Multisite insights
- Worship styles and services
- Giving and debt statistics
- Church staffing
- Outreach and missions giving and involvement
- Church demographics
Author: Ben Simms
Ben Simms serves as president and CEO of Lifeline Christian Mission and Lifeline Christian Mission Society Canada. He also serves as a corporate officer for the International Conference on Missions.
