Megachurches Becoming Gigachurches
March 22, 2011 8 Comments
Over the last decade, America’s 100 largest churches doubled in size:
In 2000, the 100 largest churches in the United States all had average weekly attendance of 4,000 people or more.
In 2010, only churches with average weekly attendance of 8,000 or more made the 100 largest churches list, according to megachurch researcher John N. Vaughan.
About half the churches on the list (49 percent) are non-denominational.
Sixteen percent are in the Los Angeles area, while 7 percent are in Dallas and 7 percent are in Houston. (Atlanta finishes fourth with 6 percent of the megachurches.)
The title and post hat tip go to First Thoughts.
Consumer Christianity seems to be doing really well. Let’s hope that the rest of the world is not soon polluted too by this fad, modern, innovative and crossless form of ‘church’.
About Fr Stephen Smuts
Whatever this is? It is not ‘church’!
The real “Church” is always historical, theological and certainly biblical. And here we must also see the aspect of the Invisible Church, as a Body. Certainly there are true members of the Body of Christ in the Megachurches. But the Megachurches have perhaps at best only elements of the true and historical-apostolic “Church”.
i.e. the Visible Church.
I can’t see this as positive to be frank.
Fr.–
I posted on my site regarding the issue of both Seminaries and mega-churches (quoting your post) at First Thoughts.
Might I suggest something as food for thought?
I agree with your “consumer christianity” description of the mega-churches. This phenomenon hit the LCMS over 20 years ago, and it has metastatic qualities that have made it the “show” so to speak.
I, however, and others I know, call them Calvinists, for they, as did he, think that the Holy Spirit needs needs no vehicle, such as the Word and preaching and the Holy Sacraments and such, despite Scripture’s clear testimony otherwise.
They do like the Ministry, however. Huge.
Pax
Hey Pax,
Um, Calvinism as a construct is concerned with Soteriology (salvation) rather than Ecclesiology (church) or Pneumatology (Holy Spirit). That some “consumer Christians” are Calvinists is about as helpful as pointing out that some BMWs are cars.
I think it both sad, and historically and doctrinally unfair to hammer “Calvinism”. Note some of the better English Calvinists, like John Owen and Thomas Goodwin on the Holy Spirit, just to name a few.
47% are Non-Denominational. Who makes up the 53%? I can’t imagine that the Episcopalians are making a good show . It would be interesting to know. Also, by Non-Denominational are they talking about “nonaligned” Pentecostal/Charismatic/Prosperity driven congregations or is it a mixed bag of fruit?
Out of interest is a church with a membership of > 4000 “not ‘church’” by virtue of its size or its doctrine?
I too perceive this to be a bad thing. I am however equally burdened for the emptying dying tombs dedicated to a dead god of religiosity.