November 6, 2025
If we’re serious about trying to reach lost sinners and fish for people like Jesus told us to, then it’s essential we understand the beliefs, behavior, and belonging of those we’re fishing for so we can use the right kind of “bait.”
Statistics from Christian Standard Church Report for 2024.
March 1, 2022
By Kim Harris The years 1981 and 1997 don’t have a lot in common. Both years followed presidential elections, but 1981 inaugurated a new president while 1997 welcomed back the leader from the previous term. Both years saw advancement in space exploration with 1981 witnessing the first space shuttle flight, while the Mars Pathfinder landed in 1997. However, it seems the differences between those two years far outweigh similarities. The cultural environment across sports, entertainment, pop culture, economics, and politics shifted significantly during that 16-year span. One thing that didn’t change in that time, though, was the most common baby
August 22, 2019
Our annual listing of churches is one of Christian Standard’s most popular features. This year scores of churches participated, including 78 small churches (average weekly worship attendance of 100 to 249 during 2018) and 47 very small churches (attendance of fewer than 100). In May we featured an article and statistics from 55 megachurches (2,000 or more in weekly attendance) and 70 emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999). In July we spotlighted 88 large churches (500 to 999 in weekly attendance) and 86 medium churches (250 to 499). Click here to view and download 2018 Charts3, with data from small churches and
June 22, 2019
These statistics from 2018 are gleaned from large and medium church data collected by Kent Fillinger. Be sure to read Fillinger’s article, “2018 Special Church Report, Part 2: Large and Medium Churches,” and look at the accompanying tables, “The 2018 Charts: Large and Medium Churches.” _ _ _ AVERAGE ATTENDANCE Large Churches: 691 Medium Churches: 358 Combined average weekly attendance (174 churches): 91,595 _ _ _ GROWTH RATES Large Churches: 1.9% (down from 2.9% in 2017); overall, 52% of large churches grew (down from 56% in 2017) Medium churches: 3.7% (up from 1.3% in 2017); overall, 60% of medium churches
June 22, 2019
By Kent Fillinger This is the second installment of a three-part series sharing research findings from our annual church survey. This month, we turn our attention to 88 large churches (average weekly worship attendance of 500 to 999 during 2018) and 86 medium churches (average attendance of 250 to 499). Growth Flip-Flop The medium churches on average grew at almost twice the rate of large churches in 2018 (3.7 percent compared to 1.9 percent, respectively). This was the first-time since 2009 that medium churches we surveyed grew faster than large churches. This flip-flop partially resulted from medium churches having their
June 22, 2019
Our annual listing of churches is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s most popular features. This year scores of churches participated, including 88 large churches (those with 500 to 999 in weekly attendance during 2018) and 86 medium churches (250 to 499). In May we featured an article and statistics from 55 megachurches (2,000 or more in weekly attendance) and 70 emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999). Come back in October for articles and charts from small (100–249) and very small churches (less than 100). Click here to view and download 2018 Charts2, with data from large churches and medium churches . . .
May 20, 2019
What statistics really count in the church? Baptisms? Attendance? Or something much more vital? By Jim Putman I have been in many meetings over the years with so-called âbig dogsâ in the American Christian world . . . and I have left these gatherings feeling very dissatisfied. These meetings often sound spiritual and may even come from good hearts, but they often leave me feeling like something big was missed. The purpose of meeting usually is good: How do we win people to Jesus? Most everyone acknowledges our culture is falling apart, that many Americans are leaving the faith and
April 24, 2019
By Kent E. Fillinger When I started conducting megachurch and emerging megachurch research 15 years ago, there were a total of 255,179 people attending these churches on a given weekend. That number has grown 52 percent to 388,243 in 2018, which is a cause for celebration! For me, this statistical journey has always been about sharing and celebrating how God is at work in churches of all sizes in many different ways. My focus continues to be on helping churches learn from one another and providing context and clear metrics for church leaders to make better decisions based on research
April 24, 2019
Our annual megachurch listing is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD?™s most popular features. This year scores of churches participated, including 55 megachurches (those with 2,000 or more in weekly attendance during 2017) and 70 emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999). Come back in August for articles and charts from large churches (those that averaged 500–999) and medium churches (250–499). In October, we will post data and have feature articles from small (100–249) and very small churches (less than 100). Click here to view and download the 2018 Charts, or click on them individually. • 2018 Megachurches • 2018 Emerging Megachurches Click here
April 24, 2019
These statistics from 2018 are gleaned from megachurch and emerging megachurch data collected by Kent Fillinger. Be sure to read Fillinger’s article, “2018 Special Church Report, Part 1: Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches,” and look at the accompanying tables, “The 2018 Charts: Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches”. Compiled by Kent Fillinger _ _ _ AVERAGE ATTENDANCE Megachurches: 5,363 Emerging Megachurches: 1,332 Combined average weekly attendance (125 churches): 388,243 _ _ _ GROWTH RATES Megachurches: 6.6% (up from 5.7% in 2017); overall, 74% of the megachurches grew (up from 71% in 2017) Emerging Megachurches: 4.1% (unchanged from 2017); overall, 71% of emerging megachurches
July 6, 2018
AVERAGE SIZE Small churches: 174 Very Small churches: 60 Combined average weekly attendance (128 churches): 16,469 GROWTH RATES Small churches: -0.3 percent; overall, 36 percent of the small churches grew. Very Small churches: 5.5 percent; overall, 44 percent of very small churches grew. FASTEST-GROWING SMALL CHURCHES Cornerstone Christian Church, Springfield, KY, 65.5 percent Westside Christian Church, Bradenton, FL, 15.5 percent Ridgeview Christian Church, Rolla, MO, 14.6 percent FASTEST-GROWING VERY SMALL CHURCHES Creekside Community Church, Hot Springs, AR, 51.7 percent New Hope Christian Church, Belton, MO, 51.1 percent Restoration Christian Church, Rogersville, MO, 40 percent BAPTISMS Small churches baptized 800 people (an average
July 6, 2018
Our annual listing of churches is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s most popular features. This year scores of churches participated, including 77 small churches (average weekly worship attendance of 100 to 249 during 2017) and 51 very small churches (attendance of fewer than 100). In May we featured an article and statistics from 55 megachurches (2,000 or more in weekly attendance) and 72 emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999). In June we spotlighted 91 large churches (500 to 999 in weekly attendance) and 83 medium churches (250 to 499). Click here to view and download 2017 Charts3, with data from small churches and
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 22, 2018
AVERAGE SIZE Large churches: 724 Medium churches: 363 Combined average weekly attendance for these 174 churches: 96,012 GROWTH RATES Large churches: 2.9 percent (down from 4.3 percent in 2016); overall, 56 percent of the large churches grew (down from 69 percent in 2016). Medium churches: 1.3 percent (down from 2.1 percent in 2016); overall, 49 percent of medium churches grew (down from 62 percent in 2016). FASTEST-GROWING LARGE CHURCHES Hope City Church, Joplin, MO, 32.5 percent The Crossing Church, Batavia, OH, 28.9 percent Restoration Park Church, Medway, OH, 26.9 percent FASTEST-GROWING MEDIUM CHURCHES CrossPointe Christian Church, Valparaiso, IN, 23.6 percent The Journey
May 18, 2018
Our annual listing of churches is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s most popular features. This year scores of churches participated, including 91 large churches (those with 500 to 999 in weekly attendance during 2017) and 83 medium churches (250 to 499). In May we featured an article and statistics from 55 megachurches (2,000 or more in weekly attendance) and 72 emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999). Come back next month for articles and charts from small (100–249) and very small churches (less than 100). Click here to view and download 2017 Charts2, with data from large churches and medium churches . . .
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
April 26, 2018
By Jerry Harris I’ve asked a few fellow megachurch pastors why they no longer submit numbers to Christian Standard’s annual report. The most common reason I have heard is a concern that either pride or a spirit of competition is connected with reporting average attendance and baptisms. I can understand that, but I would like to share some reasons why I think it’s extremely important for all churches to submit their statistics. 1. No matter our location or size, we are all on the same team. When our numbers go up, the kingdom is growing, and that is worth celebrating.
April 15, 2018
These statistics from 2017 are gleaned from megachurch and emerging megachurch data collected by Kent Fillinger. Be sure to read Fillinger’s article, “Special Church Report Part 1: Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches,” and look at the accompanying tables (“The 2017 Charts: Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches”). Compiled by Kent Fillinger AVERAGE SIZE Megachurches: 5,307 Emerging Megachurches: 1,366 Combined average weekly attendance: 390,218 GROWTH RATES Megachurches: 5.7% (up from 3.4% in 2016); overall, 71% of megachurches grew (up from 61% in 2016). Emerging Megachurches: 4.1% (up from 2 percent in 2016); overall, 57% of emerging megachurches grew (down from 61% in 2016).
April 14, 2018
By Kent E. Fillinger This marks my 14th consecutive year of staying up late for weeks on end crunching numbers, looking for trends, and jotting down insights about our Restoration Movement churches to share with you. This year is special because it’s the first time Christian Standard opened up the annual survey to churches of every size. More than 400 churches from 39 states ranging in size from 12 to 28,216 responded to the survey, and I’m grateful for each one! I’m going to share in-depth results from the survey and analyze the data in my next few monthly articles.
April 7, 2026
John B. Penrose Jr
April 7, 2026
David Faust
March 27, 2026
Rick Cherok