Articles for tag: Megachurches

May 9, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Our Future: with Unity?

By Mark A. Taylor If you led a workshop on the future of the Restoration Movement, you”d likely mention many positive signs about our tribe. Here are some I included when I was asked to speak on that topic: “¢ Our churches are doing dynamic ministry, trying new approaches, and succeeding with new strategies. We”re a creative bunch. “¢ Closely related to the above, our lack of hierarchy leaves our leaders free to try new ideas without needing permission from anyone. And new ideas abound among us. We”re an entrepreneurial bunch. “¢ Leaders from our group are publishing widely, with

May 5, 2017

Christian Standard

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

May 4, 2017

Christian Standard

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.  

May 3, 2017

Christian Standard

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  

March 24, 2017

Christian Standard

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

December 30, 2016

Jerry Harris

Growing the Kingdom

By Bruce Webster The Bible”s mandate is to grow quickly, not to grow large. Look what happens when believers today take their strategy from the New Testament instead of the church in the West.  Are you like me? For many years when I read the parable of the mustard seed1, I pictured a tiny seed growing slowly like an oak tree, attaining good height as it matured. But when the people listening to Jesus heard him tell that parable, they had a very different picture. They knew the mustard plant didn”t grow very big””maximum height about 10 feet””but it grew

November 6, 2016

Christian Standard

Seek First the Kingdom and Its Justice

By Robert L. Foster I work with a task force that connects churches with undocumented communities in partnerships that help our undocumented neighbors with the challenges they face here in the United States. Recently, at a church conference, the task force displayed an information table where churches and individuals signed up to receive information or to invite a speaker to talk to their church about creating such partnerships. Near the end of one day, a volunteer at our table overheard an attendee say, “We need to get away from all this talk about immigration and multiculturalism and get back Jesus.”

October 20, 2016

Michael C. Mack

What Operating System Is Your Church Using?

By Michael C. Mack Chris Lagerlof is the executive catalyst at Mission Orange County (www.missionoc.org). In a Q&A with Exponential (www.exponential.org), “a growing community of leaders committed to accelerating the multiplication of healthy, reproducing faith communities,” Lagerlof talked about the biggest aha”™s he had while reading Becoming a Level 5 Multiplying Church by Todd Wilson and Dave Ferguson. He says he was moved by Chapter 1, “Rethinking Our Operating System.” He was especially struck by Wilson”™s words: Pause and reflect on the potential unintended consequences [of the prevailing operating systems, especially in megachurches]. We are called to make biblical disciples

August 27, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

What About Tomorrow?

By Mark A. Taylor In recognition of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s 150th birthday earlier this year, the North American Christian Convention featured a workshop led by three of the magazine”s contributing editors. We asked each of them to think about hopes and challenges they see for the future of the churches served by this magazine for a century and a half.  The comments below are edited from the hour-long workshop. See the whole session here. Matt Proctor What will be the future of the independent Christian churches? As I considered the churches I”ve seen, I thought of three answers to that question:

May 26, 2016

Christian Standard

Want Millennials Back in the Pews? Stop Trying to Make Church Cool

By Rachel Held Evans EDITOR”S NOTE: Obviously, this essay, adapted from one that first appeared in the Washington Post on April 30, 2015, does not represent the position of CHRISTIAN STANDARD on every issue. But it provides a prod to our thinking and practice that can stimulate some healthy discussion. We invite our readers to react. Add a comment below or send us an e-mail. Bass reverberates through the auditorium floor as a heavily bearded worship leader pauses to invite the congregation, bathed in the light of two giant screens, to tweet using #JesusLives. The scent of freshly brewed coffee

May 14, 2016

Christian Standard

We Have a Plan

By Steve Reeves For the two weeks leading up to this year”s Super Bowl, the most asked question where I live was, “Will this be Peyton Manning”s last rodeo?” (Will he retire after the Super Bowl?) Truth is, that kind of question is being asked someplace almost every week, whether it concerns the long-tenured coach, college professor, or corporate executive. It”s also a relevant issue for well-known musicians and politicians: “Will this be their last concert, election, or board meeting?” Frankly, I don”t know how long the issue of ministerial retirement and succession has been such a major topic of conversation,

May 4, 2016

Christian Standard

Statistical Snippets from Our Survey

By Kent Fillinger AVERAGE SIZE Megachurches: 4,901 Emerging Megachurches: 1,375 Combined average weekly attendance: 386,035 GROWTH RATES Megachurches: 1.3 percent (down from 3.5 percent in 2014); overall, 54 percent of the megachurches grew (down from 68 percent in 2014). Emerging Megachurches: 2 percent (down from 5.4 percent in 2014); overall, 57 percent of emerging megachurches grew (down from 65 percent in 2014). Large churches: 4.1 percent (down from 4.9 percent in 2014). Medium churches: 3.3 percent (up from 3.1 percent in 2014). FASTEST-GROWING CHURCHES Worthington (OH) Christian Church, 35.1 percent New City Church, Phoenix, AZ, 33.3 percent New Day Christian

May 2, 2016

Christian Standard

Megachurches and More: The 2015 Charts

Our annual megachurch listing is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s most popular features. This year hundreds of churches participated, including 58 megachurches (those with 2,000 or more in weekly attendance) and 74 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 2015 Chart, or click on them individually. “¢ 2015 Megachurches “¢ 2015 Emerging Megachurches “¢ 2015 Large Churches “¢ 2015 Medium Churches

May 2, 2016

Christian Standard

Hopes, Fears, & Priorities (2015 Megachurch & Statistics Report)

By Kent Fillinger Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd released a song a few years ago called “Something to Live For.” Churches and individuals could echo the lyrics of the song; we, too, need something we can live for, hold on to, and believe in. Hebrews 6:18, 19 says, “We who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Bill Hybels said, “The church is the hope of the world.” Hopes This year”s survey asked churches to share “one hope or

April 19, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

All Growth Matters

By Mark A. Taylor Since 1997 CHRISTIAN STANDARD has been publishing annual lists of megachurches among the Christian churches and churches of Christ. In those 19 years, the megachurch phenomenon has exploded, not only in this fellowship but across the whole evangelical world. And with the growth has come criticism, cynicism, and complaint. Two years ago I interviewed Jud Wilhite, Dave Stone, and Don Wilson for our Beyond the Standard program. Each of them led one of the largest megachurches on that year”s list. I still remember what I wrote about that experience. These three “shared practical ideas and thoughtful

March 29, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

After Easter: the Challenge Remains

By Mark A. Taylor   Churches and church leaders around the world are breathing a collective sigh of relief this week. Easter is over. All the hard work anticipating big Easter attendances is finished. Larger numbers of volunteers were recruited. Worship services were added (some megachurches began Easter services on Thursday evening). Musicians practiced harder and longer; choirs and worship teams prepared their best. Preachers gave special effort to make sure their sermons were polished and ready. New churches and multisites launched on Easter Sunday, with the hope to attract newcomers on the one Sunday when tradition prods the largest

March 11, 2016

Christian Standard

My Opus

By David Smith “Just stay around long enough to get a little experience and then move on to “˜greener pastures.”” That statement, among others, was what I heard when I moved to Moreland, Kentucky, in 1993 to start a ministry with Moreland Christian Church. What that actually means is, put in a little time, and then move to a more “reputable” church in our brotherhood with a higher salary. Well, 23 years later, God is still blessing our little church in the cornfield. In fact, after building a multipurpose building in 1999 and a new sanctuary in 2014, we bought

March 5, 2016

Christian Standard

Bigger Than “˜Bigger and Better”

By Chris Travis On the one hand, I get it. If you want a picture of what a church is like, then the number of people who come on Sundays fills in a lot of information quickly. But does it tell the whole story? I think we all know it doesn”t, and yet, we”re really not sure how else to define success. “What are you running on Sundays now?” Three different people asked me that question within five minutes. This was not at a church planting conference. This was at my home church! People didn”t ask how my wife was

May 25, 2015

Christian Standard

Struggling for Balance

By LeRoy Lawson   Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus C. Christopher Smith and John Pattison Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2014 iGods: How Technology Shapes Our Spiritual and Social Lives Craig Detweiler Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2013 Brave New World Aldous Huxley New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics; originally published in 1932 Chris Smith presented the argument for Slow Church to a small gathering in Erwin, Tennessee. After a season of serious drought, First Christian Church has been enjoying renewal under the steady leadership of Chris”s friend Todd Edmondson. Erwin was a fitting venue, since many of the growth techniques that have

May 15, 2015

Christian Standard

Annual Megachurch Lists

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.

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