Articles for tag: Megachurches

April 19, 2009

Christian Standard

Megachurches: Church Unique

  By Kent. E. Fillinger Church Unique is the title of a great book released last year by Will Mancini, and it is also a good description of the 117 megachurches and emerging megachurches profiled in this special double issue. While there are significant trends and key stats that can be gleaned from studying these churches collectively, the strength is in the unique stories of the churches represented and how God is using each one to change people”s lives for Christ. Innovation””or Imitation? A unique vision is not limited to these 117 profiled churches; in reality, every church has a

April 19, 2009

Christian Standard

Megachurches: An Interview with Three Megachurch Ministers

  By Kent Fillinger A SWOT analysis is the classic model for strategic planning. It examines an organization from the standpoint of its internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats it faces. We asked three lead pastors of megachurches to comment on their individual congregations and on megachurches in general using the framework of a SWOT analysis: “¢ Jud Wilhite, 37, has been  senior pastor since 2003 of Central Christian Church (Henderson, Nevada), which has an average weekend worship attendance of 12,822. “¢ Scott Enyon, 47, has been senior pastor since 1994 of Community Christian Church

April 19, 2009

Christian Standard

Megachurches: Sustaining Ministry in a Shrinking Economy

    By Kent E. Fillinger Rising unemployment rates. Crashing stock markets. Falling consumer confidence. Decreased spending. Skyrocketing personal and national debt. Freezing credit lines. Collapsing banks and bankrupt companies. Mounting numbers of home foreclosures. A deepening recession. People fearing a depression. These are the dominant headlines of our day. What is the impact on the church? Prognosticators and pundits are attempting to predict when this economic downturn will either reach the bottom or start to turn around. Until resurgence occurs, how can churches sustain ministry in a shrinking economy?   Put the economy and giving into perspective. The recession

April 19, 2009

Christian Standard

Megachurches: By the Numbers

  By Kent E. Fillinger and Ben Simms   Fastest-Growing Churches in 2008:  “¢ The Crossing, Quincy, IL, 27% “¢ Crosspointe, Cary, NC, 22% “¢ Compass Christian, Colleyville, TX, 22% “¢ Central Christian, Mesa, AZ, 22% Fastest-Growing since 2003: “¢ Parkview Christian Church, Orland Park, IL, 183%  “¢ Real Life Ministries, Post Falls, ID, 172% “¢ Crossroads Christian Church, Grand Prairie, TX, 101% Fastest-Growing since 1997:  “¢ Christ”s Church of the Valley, Peoria, AZ, 477% “¢ Northside Christian Church, New Albany, IN, 371% “¢ Central Christian Church, Henderson, NV, 307% What  is “AVERAGE”? The 54 megachurches” average size: 4,116  The

April 19, 2009

Christian Standard

Megachurches: The Value of a Brand (Web-Only Feature)

  By Kent E. Fillinger “Christianity has an image problem.” This is the first sentence in UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity . . . And Why It Matters. The book chronicles the negative perceptions and skepticism that Americans ages 16-29 have of all things Christian: the faith itself, the people who profess it, the church, the Bible, and even Jesus.  Authors David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons summarize the most common points of skepticism and objections raised by outsiders into the following six broad themes: hypocritical, too focused on getting converts, antihomosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental.

April 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Gene Appel

By Brad Dupray Gene Appel became senior pastor at Eastside Christian Church in Fullerton, California, on October 1, 2008, after serving as lead pastor with Willow Creek Community Church”s South Barrington (Illinois) campus. In many ways, he has come full circle, having served as an intern at Eastside while a 20-year-old student at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College. At 25, Gene became senior minister at Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, and led the church from average weekly attendance of 400 to 8,000 during an 18-year ministry. Gene and his wife, Barbara, have three children, Jeremy, Alayna, and Jenna, with

April 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Your Vision”“and Ours

By Mark A. Taylor One sentence stands out in Kent Fillinger”s introduction to this week”s special issue. “If you copy someone else”s vision, who will accomplish yours?” Kent quotes the book Church Unique to remind us that we must do the particular work God has for us in our communities, not copy the strategies working for someone else somewhere else. So why does CHRISTIAN STANDARD devote a whole issue to megachurches every year? “¢ Megachurches are news, and our goal is to tell you news about Christian churches and churches of Christ you won”t find anywhere else. “¢ Megachurches are

January 7, 2009

Christian Standard

Something New”“-for All Our Readers

By Mark A. Taylor You can sort most CHRISTIAN STANDARD readers into one of three categories. Some read or at least skim every page every week. Some read some of the magazine some weeks, when they have time or when they see something that particularly interests them. They don”t feel bad about what they choose to skip. Some receive a copy every week and want to read it””but they feel guilty when they fall behind. Unread issues stack up beside them in an accusing pile. We”d like to serve those in all three groups, and we”d like everyone to feel

November 30, 2008

Christian Standard

The Emerging Church and the Stone-Campbell Movement: Some Striking Similarities (Part 2)

By William R. Baker In part one, three surprising similarities between the Stone-Campbell and emerging church movements were observed, discussed under these headings: “Beyond Denominationalism,” “Vintage Christianity,” and “Biblical Christianity””Acts.” This week, four more similarities will be investigated. Local Church Emerging churches emphasize developing ministry and principles based on the community where they are located. This goes with their “missional” emphasis. They are “externally focused” on incarnating the gospel to the people in their community in creative and fresh ways.1 But in doing so, they also embrace an approach that mobilizes and equips every member of the believing body to

November 23, 2008

Christian Standard

The Emerging Church: A Brief History and Helpful Resources

By William R. Baker See the Main Article: “The Emerging Church and the Stone-Campbell Movement: Some Striking Similarities (Part 1)”     What is now dubbed the emerging church began with a few prominent, young, evangelical church leaders in the early 1990s who became disenchanted with the megachurches with which they were involved. It has grown now to an expanding network of mature, culturally savvy church leaders and thinkers who minister with congregations, mostly in large cities.  These leaders are attempting to embody the gospel within the challenges of a postmodern world. The crisis these leaders were experiencing, it turns

November 5, 2008

Christian Standard

Interview with Harry Graham

By Brad Dupray Southeast Christian Church in Parker, Colorado, has benefited from the leadership of men like Harry Graham throughout her storied history. Harry and his wife of 42 years, Barbara, were founding members of Southeast in the early 1970s. Along the way Harry helped manage the church”s finances, taught Sunday school, was among the church”s first elders, and has served as chairman of the elders. Southeast has grown from an initial group of 23 to more than 4,500 in Sunday attendance. Today, Harry continues to serve as an elder and works with staff in overseeing church operations. What kind

September 7, 2008

Christian Standard

Just Asking: Five Questions for the Restoration Movement

By Jim Tune I shouldn”t be writing this article. I”ve never seen myself as a poster boy for the Restoration Movement. I”ve never been much of a joiner of causes. My early days as a preacher were marked by zeal for the ministry but ambivalence toward the movement. I”ve changed a lot. This will sound decidedly uncool to my church planting peers, but the Restoration plea as first envisaged by men like Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott, and Barton Stone actually quickens my pulse these days. I”ll be the first to admit that the vision for unity around simple

August 10, 2008

Christian Standard

Where the Administrative Buck Stops

By LeRoy Lawson “Oh, we”re all equal. It”s just that Roy is more equal than we are.” That was how Rex Dernovich described the relationship between elders and senior minister in Central Christian Church. The ministers at the Phoenix-area meeting might have thought he was joking, but he wasn”t. The elder chairman”s quip goes to the heart of what attracted me to accept Central”s call in 1979. The eldership had carefully thought through the leadership issue that rips apart too many churches, and decided they needed a minister who, as they said, can “lead us to become the flagship church

July 16, 2008

Christian Standard

Showing a Better Way

By Mark A. Taylor Doug Wood, the subject of this week”s “CHRISTIAN STANDARD Interview,” has seen local churches make changes that preceded dramatic growth. Yet he emphasizes that external changes are not the “secret” to growth. His approach isn”t to force change, but first to build followers of Christ. This disciple-building generates change from the inside out. It”s the difference between watching your diet or getting your exercise versus dressing for success or getting plastic surgery. The latter are quicker and more dramatic. The former lead to long-term health. Wood”s own words, excerpted from the longer Web version* of his

July 13, 2008

Christian Standard

Restoration Movement Q&A 1

Answers from Gene Carter, Becky Ahlberg, and Eric Ahlberg Does the Restoration Movement Matter? Answers from Gene Carter, Becky Ahlberg, and Eric Ahlberg Gene Carter is retired in Playa del Rey, California, after 55 years of ministry, 25 in the Midwest and 30 in Southern California. Becky Ahlberg is worship and neighborhood engagement minister at Anaheim (California) First Christian Church and a CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editor. Eric Ahlberg is a member of Anaheim First Christian and a forensic structural engineer at Exponent Corporation in Irvine, California. Do you feel as strongly about being a part of the Restoration Movement today

July 2, 2008

Christian Standard

Interview with Leonard Wymore

By Brad Dupray Leonard Wymore served as convention director of the North American Christian Convention from 1964 to 1986. His expertise in leading such a large venture was developed in his organizing of National Christian Education Conventions for Standard Publishing, beginning in 1956. When the NACC”s Convention Committee asked him to become convention director, their purpose was to combine the forces of the two conventions in order to broaden the appeal of the NACC. Leonard is a graduate of Manhattan (Kansas) Christian College. He and his wife of 63 years, Thelma, attend Hopwood Christian Church in Milligan College, Tennessee. How

April 13, 2008

Kent Fillinger and Ben Simms

megachurch attendance

By the Numbers (Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches)

megachurch attendance is summarized here with average size figures, total weekend and Easter attendance, and baptisms across 113 churches. Megachurch attendance averages and growth highlights This snapshot also lists state-by-state counts, fastest-growing churches, and baptism ratio leaders. Average sizes are shown for megachurches, emerging megachurches, and all 113 churches. Growth highlights include fastest-growing churches (2007, since 1997, and since 2002) and a growth overview. Baptism totals, a baptism-per-100 ratio, and top churches by baptism ratio and total baptisms are included. By Kent Fillinger and Ben Simms WHAT IS “AVERAGE”? The 52 megachurches’ average size: 4,019 The 61 emerging megachurches’ average

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