Articles for tag: General Fund Giving

May 1, 2020

The Difference a Decade Makes

(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

August 22, 2019

Kent E. Fillinger

Church & Ministry Church Growth

2018 SPECIAL CHURCH REPORT, PART 3: Small and Very Small Churches

By Kent E. Fillinger This is the final installment of a three-part series sharing the research findings from our annual church survey. The May issue focused on 2018 data from megachurches and emerging megachurches. The August issue covered large and medium churches, and now we conclude the series with statistics from 78 small churches and 47 very small churches. This was the second year of surveying small and very small churches, so I will include some year-to-year comparisons, while acknowledging more data is necessary before identifying trends. Statistical Snapshot Small and very small churches had the slowest growth rates of

May 8, 2014

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Growth

A Closer Look at the Numbers*

By Kent Fillinger AVERAGE SIZE Megachurches: 4,810 Emerging Megachurches: 1,354 Combined average weekly attendance: 382,144 The three largest megachurches account for more than 20 percent of all megachurch attendees. GROWTH RATES Megachurches: 5.6 percent (up from 3 percent in 2012); overall, 73 percent of megachurches grew. Emerging Megachurches: 2.4 percent (down from 4 percent in 2012); overall, 52 percent of emerging megachurches grew. FASTEST-GROWING CHURCHES 2|42 Community Church, Brighton, MI, 112% Third City Christian Church, Grand Island, NE, 31.6% Eastside Christian Church, Anaheim, CA, 26.3% Current””A Christian Church, Katy, TX, 22.1% Ten Mile Christian Church, Meridian, ID,

May 2, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Growth

Megachurches by the Numbers

By Kent E. Fillinger Here are some summary stats for the megachurches (more than 2,000 in weekly attendance) and emerging megachurches (an average weekly attendance of 1,000 to 1,999). A total of 63 megachurches and 67 emerging megachurches participated in this year”s survey. All statistics are based on the 2012 calendar year. In addition to the 130 megachurches and emerging megachurches, 105 large churches (which average 500 to 999 weekly) and 109 medium-size churches (an average weekly attendance of 250 to 499) participated in this year”s survey. The 344 participating churches are the most to date. Complete survey findings for

May 2, 2011

Kent E. Fillinger

Stewardship & Generosity Money & Debt

Is the Church in a Recession?

Kent E. Fillinger examines church giving, staffing, spending, debt, and outreach trends among surveyed Christian churches and churches of Christ following the Great Recession.

September 15, 2010

Kent E. Fillinger

Church & Ministry Church Growth

MEDIUM-SIZED CHURCHES: Measuring Growth at Medium-sized Churches

Kent E. Fillinger reports on growth, baptisms, senior ministers, worship venues, finances, and outreach trends among 32 medium-sized Christian churches/churches of Christ.

April 13, 2008

Kent Fillinger

Church & Ministry Church Growth

The Best Indicator of Church Growth

Baptisms reveal whether churches are reaching the lost or just shifting believers. This article examines megachurch baptism ratios, giving-per-baptism figures, and why retaining new disciples matters for long-term growth.