May 4, 2026
Think Relevant
What does it mean for a church to be “relevant”? Jerry Harris argues every church reaches a target—and effectiveness grows when you identify your community’s sweet spot and adapt methods without changing core teaching.
Articles for tag: Megachurch
January 1, 2026
Preach the Real Gospel
Discernment isn’t knowing the difference between right and wrong; it’s knowing the difference between right and almost right. Almost right will never be enough when it comes to someone’s eternal destiny.
Is There a Vision?
People need to experience purpose in their relationship with Christ and effective leaders must set goals that reflect their vision for the church in creating that purpose.
February 12, 2024
Done With Stuck: Helping Christians Return to Spiritual Growth
People can sometimes get stuck in their spiritual growth. They start out well. They attend church, read their Bibles, and join a small group. And then they stall out. . . . Done With Stuck is a company that aims to give people tools to deal with the deep-seated issues that block their growth. . . .
March 25, 2023
Let’s Talk About . . . ‘Jesus Revolution’
"Jesus Revolution" tells the powerful true story of a national revival in the early 1970s sparked by a group of teenage hippies in Southern California. After viewing, the Christian should ask, "Where do I see myself in this movie? . . ."
December 27, 2021
Manchester Christian Changing Name, Targeting Rural New England
Manchester Christian Church is changing its name to One Church as it continues to expand in New England. "It’s time to have a name that reflects not where we are, but who we are," senior pastor Bo Chancey said.
December 23, 2021
This Wasn’t in the Script
"It’s the late 1990s, and I’m sitting in the audience of the annual Christmas production at my suburban megachurch when something happens that’s obviously not in the script (or the Scriptures, for that matter)," writes Austin Gohn, lead pastor with Bellevue Christian Church in Pittsburgh.
November 1, 2021
Relevance
By Chris Philbeck One of the great blessings of my life over the past 40 years has been the privilege of leading a church plant, a turnaround church, and a megachurch. And while these churches have been incredibly different, the one constant has been the opportunity and responsibility to preach. I was 23 when I started, and I’m 63 today. To be honest, I’m not sure I would have wanted to listen to my 23-year-old self every week in that first church. But I am forever grateful for a group of people who loved me and gave me the opportunity
September 22, 2020
The Financial Impact of COVID-19 on Christian Churches
By Kent E. Fillinger As I write this in late June, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to morph daily as it impacts the world, economy, and church in innumerable ways. During the week of June 7, I conducted a COVID-19 Church Impact Survey to take a “snapshot” of how churches fared during the initial three months of quarantine (March to May) and what they anticipated would be happening over the next three months (June to August) as many started to regather for in-person worship services. A total of 334 church leaders from 39 states responded, providing a balanced cross-section of all-sized
March 20, 2020
A Megachurch Pastor's Letter to His Congregation
Editor’s Note: Jeff Vines, lead pastor of ONE&ALL Church in San Dimas, Calif., shared these thoughts concerning the COVID-19 outbreak with his church. With his permission, we have decided to share it with our readers. _ _ _ By Jeff Vines I love my church, although ONE&ALL church does not belong to me. I love the people who attend, the staff who diligently make this engine run, and the executive team and elders who give so much of themselves to the cause of Christ. During this coronavirus pandemic, our leaders and servants have stepped up to lead and serve. I’m
November 2, 2019
Children’s Ministry Best Practices (Megachurch): Crossroads Christian Church, Grand Prairie, Texas
A Passion for Reaching More Children—and Their Families—for Christ By Pam Siddle Dwight L. Moody once said,“If I could relive my life, I would devote my entire ministry to reaching children for God.” We have a similar commitment at Crossroads Christian Church in Grand Prairie, Texas, and God is using our children’s ministry to attract families to worship with us and ultimately reach more children for him. Here’s how we’re doing this. Facilities Having a visually appealing, kid-friendly building is very important. Families love seeing areas designed specifically for children, and the kids are excited to be there. Our members
August 22, 2019
The Journey Toward a Better Death: Reflections on Looking for Greener Grass
By Patrick L. Mitchell We all play what I call the “better game.” We spend too much time fantasizing about something “better,” though deep down we know it rarely, if ever, truly is better. We pay for the next better, move cities to find the next better, cheat on a spouse to experience the next better . . . and it’s almost always to our detriment, for there is no satisfying this psychological sasquatch. Church hopping is a large-scale manifestation of this desire, and Southerners—of which I am one—are especially skilled in this “game.” The perfect church is out there,
April 19, 2019
How the Mighty Pastors and Preachers Fall
By Jerry Harris The announcement came in mid-January. James MacDonald, founding pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel, based in the Chicago area, was taking an immediate and indefinite sabbatical from all preaching and leadership in his ministry. The elders took this action in response to mounting criticism concerning leadership overreach, financial questions, and alleged abuse of staff and members over a 12-year period. Stories of this sort are becoming all-too-common among megachurch pastors . . . and they show no sign of slowing. The churches that provide platforms for these leaders represent tens of thousands of people. High-visibility, powerful-personality pastors and
July 27, 2017
A New Lease On Life: First Christian Canton Comes Rushing Back
By Ryan Rasmussen I must admit, right off the bat, that as a minister, I”m still learning, and the church I lead, First Christian of Canton, Ohio, is a work in progress. We don”t have the greatest turnaround story of all time, but God has done some incredible things over the past few years, despite our imperfections. You see, as I write this, I am sitting at my dining room table on a beautiful 82-degree day. The sun is breaking through the blinds as if God himself is stretching the rays of light, pinching one end between his thumb and
June 9, 2017
Church Building the New Testament Way
By Doug Lucas Suppose the Restoration Movement churches (Christian churches and churches of Christ) want to restore the New Testament practice of constructing or buying church buildings. What would it look like? Easy answer. To my knowledge, throughout all the New Testament, there”s not a single example of constructing or buying a building. The book of Acts records exponential church growth without buildings. And, according to Matthew 28:19, 20, our core mandate is to make disciples who will make disciples””not build buildings. Making disciples always needs to be at the center of everything we do, whether it be going, baptizing,
Questions Worth Asking (2016 Megachurch & Statistics Report)
By Kent E. Fillinger Leading a church is a complex undertaking. The challenges can seem to mount more quickly than answers or resources become available. However, asking good questions is helpful. And asking the right questions as a leader is a game changer. One question I always ask is, “What can we learn from our annual survey data to apply to life and ministry?” Here are some important findings from key survey questions, and I”ve included some application questions for you and your team to discuss. One of this year”s survey questions was, “What questions or issues is your church
Statistical Snippets from Our Survey of Churches
By Kent E. Fillinger AVERAGE SIZE Megachurches: 4,898. Emerging Megachurches: 1,358. Combined average weekly attendance: 375,324. GROWTH RATES Megachurches: 3.4 percent (up from 1.3 percent in 2015); overall, 61 percent of megachurches grew (up from 54 percent in 2015). Emerging Megachurches: 2 percent (the same as 2015); overall, 61 percent of emerging megachurches grew (up from 57 percent in 2015). Large churches: 4.3 percent (up from 4.1 percent in 2015); overall, 69 percent of large churches grew last year. Medium churches: 2.1 percent (down from 3.3 percent in 2015); overall, 62 percent of medium churches grew last year.
Megachurches and More: The 2016 Charts
Our annual megachurch listing is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s most popular features. This year hundreds of churches participated, including 55 megachurches (those with 2,000 or more in weekly attendance) and 78 emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999). This chart also includes listings for scores of large churches (with average attendance of 500 to 999) and medium churches (250-499) Click here to view and download the 2016 Charts, or click on them individually. “¢ 2016 Megachurches “¢ 2016 Emerging Megachurches “¢ 2016 Large Churches “¢ 2016 Medium Churches
April 13, 2017
My Riskiest Move for God: I Had More to Lose Than Ever
Five Christian leaders tell what God did when they took a surprising step of faith. By Vince Antonucci I”ve heard people say faith in a big God allows you to take big risks. I”d say that doesn”t go far enough. Faith doesn”t just allow you to take risks; faith requires that you take risks. In fact, faith IS risk. When I became a Christian, I had a full scholarship to a top law school. I loved law school. The average first-year salary coming out of my law school was $80,000. While attending there, I felt God calling me into the ministry.
March 24, 2017
Where Has All the Shopping Gone?
By Joe Boyd Traditional retail is struggling. What might this mean to local churches in the United States? A giant of the American economy is slowly dying. You may not notice it yet because giants die at such a sluggish pace. Traditional American department stores are struggling. Over the last year Macy”s has closed nearly 100 stores and laid off 10,000 employees. Sears is also closing more than 100 stores after a 2016 holiday shopping season that dropped more than 12 percent from 2015. Kohl”s closed 18 stores and laid off more than 1,500 people in 2016. This isn”t Forbes
