January 24, 2024
There is still time to complete Christian Standard's Annual Survey of Churches. This survey of 2023 data is designed for every Restoration Movement church (Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ)—from the largest to smallest—and takes only a few minutes to complete . . .
July 20, 2022
Our elders at Risen Church Westside, Santa Monica, Calif., were challenged to make decisions that addressed the present reality of post-COVID-19 life. To better serve our congregation and community, we decided to conduct a survey to understand the questions and issues being asked and considered by our members, local Christians, and non-Christians in the community. . . .
May 1, 2022
Let not your heart be troubled as you review our annual church survey report. Your congregation may not be in the church-size category where you expect it. For some churches, it may appear, at first glance, as if your attendance has declined over the last couple years, even if it hasn’t. It may look like some megachurches and emerging megachurches have suddenly vanished or that many of their regular attenders have dropped out. What’s going on? While Christian Standard reported combined in-person and online attendance numbers the previous several years (which was especially significant during the pandemic), our 2021 charts
January 18, 2022
All independent Christian churches and churches of Christ are encouraged to participate in Christian Standard’s annual survey, which is now available.
May 1, 2021
The year 2020 was, well . . . different! And, because of that, we knew it was super important to capture the stories and statistics from 2020 to gauge the true impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our churches and establish baselines to measure future growth and changes.
May 1, 2020
(See our related post, “2019 Fast Facts from Our Annual Survey of Churches.” Also, we have prepared a download that includes a complete listing of the 439 churches that participated in our survey; the download also spotlights the 10 fastest-growing churches in each category and those churches with the highest baptism ratios. Go here to ACCESS THE DOWNLOAD. _ _ _ By Kent Fillinger Twenty-two years ago marked the first time Christian Standard published a list of churches that averaged more than 1,000 in worship attendance. Sixteen years ago, I started analyzing the data and soon added an annual survey
July 5, 2018
By Kent Fillinger This is the final installment in a trilogy of articles from our annual church survey. If you missed the updates on megachurches and emerging megachurches from May and large and medium churches from June, I suggest you backtrack and read those articles—and view those charts—as well. For the first time, our survey included churches with attendances of fewer than 250. We received responses from 77 small churches (average weekly worship attendance of 100 to 249) and 51 very small churches (attendance of fewer than 100). Click here to access “The 2017 Charts: Small and Very Small
May 17, 2018
By Kent Fillinger This month, the focus is on large churches (average worship attendance of 500 to 999) and medium churches (250 to 499 weekly) from our annual church survey. If you missed the May issue on megachurches and emerging megachurches, you can read it online to get caught up. Next month, I’ll conclude this series with a report on small churches (averaging 100 to 249 weekly) and very small churches (fewer than 100) and share the first-ever recorded data on these two church sizes. Here are some stats and stories that show the major themes that emerged for large
May 15, 2015
In 1997 CHRISTIAN STANDARD began publishing an annual listing of churches in our fellowship that averaged 1,000 or more in weekly worship attendance during the previous year. Beginning with the 2005 list (published April 9, 2006), the magazine took a nod from national church growth writers and changed our definition of megachurch. Since that time, a church that averages 2,000 or more in weekly worship attendance is considered a megachurch, while a church averaging 1,000 to 1,999 weekly is considered an emerging megachurch. We make a concerted effort each year to contact churches that average 1,000 or more in attendance, although some choose not to participate.
May 10, 2014
Our annual megachurch chart is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s most popular features. This year we are breaking the chart into two parts for our website postings; this particular chart lists 103 large churches (those averaging 500 to 999 in weekly attendance) and 109 medium-sized megachurches (those that averaged 250 to 499 during 2013). This is not an exhaustive listing; instead, it is a listing of churches that voluntarily participated in our survey. Click here to look at the chart of the 2013 Large Churches and Medium Churches.
May 22, 2012
This listing of 71 churches that averaged 500-999 for worship in 2011 includes church name, city, senior minister, Web site, average attendance, and number of baptisms. (This is not a complete listing of such churches; it is a listing of Large-Sized Churches that participated in our survey.) Click here to look at the chart of 2011 LARGE-SIZED CHURCHES.
September 15, 2010
This listing of 32 churches that averaged 250-499 for worship in 2009 includes church name, city, senior minister, Web site, and average attendance. (This is not a complete listing of such churches; it is a listing of Medium-Sized Churches that participated in our survey.) Click here to look at the chart of 2009_MEDIUM-SIZED CHURCHES.
September 8, 2010
This listing of 75 churches that averaged 500-999 for worship in 2009 includes church name, city, senior minister, Web site, average attendance, and number of baptisms. (This is not a complete listing of such churches; it is a listing of Large-Sized Churches that participated in our survey.) Click here to look at the chart of 2009 LARGE-SIZED CHURCHES.
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