If Numbers Interest You

Here are some statistics gleaned from the 2014 CHRISTIAN STANDARD megachurch report.

AVERAGE SIZE 

Megachurches: 4,622

Emerging Megachurches: 1,354

Combined average weekly attendance: 390,436

GROWTH RATES

Megachurches: 3.5 percent (down from 5.6 percent in 2013); overall, 68 percent of the megachurches grew (down from 73 percent in 2013).

Emerging Megachurches: 5.4 percent (up from 2.4 percent in 2013); overall, 65 percent of emerging megachurches grew (up from 52 percent in 2013).

Large churches: 4.9 percent (up from 4.7 percent in 2013).

Medium churches: 3.1 percent (up from 0.9 percent in 2013).

FASTEST-GROWING CHURCHES

New City Church, Phoenix, AZ, 61.5 percent

Lifepointe Church, Raleigh, NC, 36.2 percent

River Run Christian Church, East Orlando, FL, 35 percent

2|42 Community Church, Brighton, MI, 34.1 percent

First Christian Church, Canton, OH, 33.8 percent

BAPTISMS

Megachurches baptized 24,064 people, an average of 376 baptisms per megachurch.

Emerging megachurches baptized 6,155 people, an average of 88 per church.

Megachurches baptized an average of 7.7 people per 100 in attendance, down from 8.2 in 2013.

Emerging megachurches baptized an average of 6.5 people per 100 in attendance, down from 7.2 in 2013.

HIGHEST BAPTISM RATIO PER 100

Manchester Christian Church, Manchester, NH, 17.7

Parkview Christian Church, Orland Park, IL, 17.5

Pikes Peak Christian Church, Colorado Springs, CO, 15.5

SouthBrook Christian Church, Miamisburg, OH, 14.4

Eastside Christian Church, Anaheim, CA, 14.2

AVERAGE TOTAL GIVING

Megachurches: $8.0 million

Emerging Megachurches: $2.4 million

AVERAGE TOTAL DEBT

Megachurches: $8.6 million (or $1,870 of debt per person, based on average attendance figures).

Emerging Megachurches: $4.2 million (or $3,094 of debt per person, based on average attendance figures).

AVERAGE AGE OF LEAD MINISTERS

Megachurches: 51.4 years (up from 50.9 in 2013).

Emerging Megachurches: 49.5 years (same as 2013″”the youngest of the four church size categories).

AVERAGE LEAD MINISTER START DATE

Megachurches: 1999

Emerging Megachurches: 2002

(Information compiled by Kent E. Fillinger)

Author: Christian Standard

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