Megachurch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A megachurch is a church having around 2,000 or more attendants for a typical weekly service.[1][2] The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to this data, about 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000.[3] Additionally, while some 3,000 individual Roman Catholic parishes (churches) have 2,000 or more attendants for a typical weekly service, these churches are not seen as part of the megachurch movement.[4]
Globally, these large congregations are a significant development in Protestant Christianity. While generally associated with the United States, the phenomenon has spread worldwide; as of 2007, five of the ten largest Protestant churches are in South Korea.[5] Most megachurches tend to be evangelical or Pentecostal, and are often semi-independent from the major Christian denominations.
Contents |
[edit] History
 |
Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (March 2009) |
The megachurch movement, with a large number of local congregants who return on a weekly basis, is usually thought to have begun in the 1950s.[6] There have been large churches earlier in history, but they were considerably rarer. Examples include Charles Spurgeon's Baptist Metropolitan Tabernacle in London which attracted 5,000 weekly for years in the late 1800s, and religious broadcaster Aimee Semple McPherson's Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, which was similarly large.[7] The current largest megachurch in the world is the Yoido Full Gospel Church, with 830,000 members as of 2007.[5]
[edit] Denominational links
In the United States, more than half of these large church institutions are non-denominational churches. Those that have ties to a larger body are most often members of the Southern Baptist denomination, which accounts for perhaps one in five megachurches. The Assemblies of God claim approximately one in ten. Another one-tenth of the megachurches are associated with historically African American denominations, such as African Methodist Episcopal, (A.M.E.), and the Church of God in Christ (COGIC).
Denominational megachurches generally have more in common with other megachurches than they do with smaller churches within their own denomination. The exception to this rule is found in church movements begun by megachurches, like City Harvest Church, Christian City Churches or Hillsong Church. Churches in these movements tend to fit the megachurch classification while remaining very similar to other churches in the movement, maintaining a similar appearance, logo, worship style and vision.
[edit] Adjustments to cater for size
 |
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources (ideally, using inline citations). Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2007) |
Coping with the large numbers of people who attend them requires many adjustments. The immense architecture of the megachurch requires that the entire congregation can see and hear. Large open spaces allow line of sight to elaborate video presentations and projections. To overcome the limits of acoustics, sound is amplified, with large PA systems and mixing desks. Words to hymns and songs are projected on screens, reducing reliance on the hymnals found in the pews of more traditional churches. Many newer churches use theater-style individual chairs instead of pews.
The need for large parking lots to accommodate worshipers has often led these churches to be located on the outskirts of large cities, on tracts encompassing multiple acres. A recent trend shows megachurches may have one or more "satellite" locations away from the main church, which will have a small local staff. However, the main message is presented by the senior pastor via video presentation. This is referred to as the multi-site movement.
The ministry of these churches must also be adjusted for size. Much of the actual teaching work of the church is handled by committees and smaller meetings outside the weekly services themselves, which are almost exclusively meant for collective (sometimes enthusiastic) worship, with relatively few people engaged in up-front roles. Congregational oversight is generally limited to an annual meeting (where a budget and "board of directors" is approved); in some cases, the senior pastor has complete authority over all decisions.
Many were launched by a single pastor, a person who combines engaging sermons with the organizational skills needed to facilitate a large scale weekly service and manage the team who runs it. To complement the large-scale sermons, some churches supplement this strongly with smaller independent groups (called "cell churches" by some, notably David Yonggi Cho).
[edit] Criticism
A common criticism of megachurches is that they draw members away from smaller churches.[citation needed] This has led some to use the term "big box churches". The majority of North American church-goers attend small churches of fewer than 200 members.[citation needed]
Critics of megachurches claim that such churches are more concerned with entertainment than religion,[8] earning them the nickname "Disney churches."[2] The Rev. Al Sharpton has claimed that such churches focus on personal morality issues while ignoring social justice.[9]
One criticism that has been used to presuppose a divergence from evangelicalism and Pentecostalism that occurred recently was the failure of a number of U.S. megachurches to hold worship services on Christmas Day in 2005, when it fell on a Sunday. However, the unique calendar situation presented challenges to tens of thousands of churches nationwide; many smaller and traditional congregations also faced the dilemma and opted to hold service on Christmas Eve, the eve of Christmas day, or call off services. Because of their size and influence, many megachurches were able to hold their service on Christmas Eve out of consideration for their volunteer team, so they were able to spend Christmas Day celebrating with their families and friends.[10]
Critics have raised issues with the application of secular business models,[11] e.g., from Wal-Mart, a seeker-friendly approach, intensive market research, and heavy reliance upon opinion polls, polished advertising targeted at affluent young professionals, unconventional worship styles, and Eastern influences.[citation needed]
Another criticism falls along cultural lines, including the fact that many megachurches are located in the United States. For example, in a December 2005 issue of The Economist, a British reporter who visited Willow Creek Community Church suggested that megachurches reflected U.S. trends Europeans consider negative, such as urban sprawl and the proliferation of McMansions.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ Sims, Amy. "Religion Gets Supersized at Megachurches". http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,110240,00.html. Retrieved on 2006-11-05.
- ^ a b Biard, Julia. "The good and bad of religion-lite". http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/the-good-and-bad-of-religionlite/2006/02/22/1140563858123.html. Retrieved on 2006-11-05.
- ^ Hartford Institute for Religion Research, database of Megachurches
- ^ Definition
- ^ a b "O come all ye faithful". Special Report on Religion and Public Life (The Economist): p. 6. 2007-11-03. http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10015239&CFID=25385374. Retrieved on 2007-11-05.
- ^ http://hirr.hartsem.edu/bookshelf/thumma_article2.html
- ^ National Historic Landmarks Program, Angelus Temple
- ^ Littlefield, Christina. "Long reach of a big church". http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2006/sep/17/566669895.html. Retrieved on 2006-11-05.
- ^ "Black Leaders Blast Megachurches, Say They Ignore Social Justice". Associated Press. 2005-12-06. http://www.christianpost.com/article/20060629/19533.htm. Retrieved on 2006-11-05.
- ^ "Some megachurches closing for Christmas". Associated Press. 2005-12-06. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-12-06-christmas-churches_x.htm. Retrieved on 2006-11-05.
- ^ "Earthly Empire:How evangelical churches are borrowing from the business playbook". Business Week. 2005-05-23. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_21/b3934001_mz001.htm. Retrieved on 2006-11-05.
- ^ "Jesus, CEO: Churches as businesses". The Economist. 2005-12-20. http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_VPNPVJS. Retrieved on 2006-11-05.
[edit] External links
- Thumma, Scott and Dave Travis (August 2007) Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches. Published by Jossey-Bass and Leadership Network. ISBN 978-0-7879-9467-9
- Thumma, Scott; Dave Travis & Warren Bird (February 2006) "Megachurches Today 2005: Summary of Research Findings". Hartford Institute for Religious Research. Hartford Seminary, Hartford Connecticut.
- Thumma, Scott (March 2001) "Megachurches Today 2000: Summary of Research Findings. Hartford Institute for Religious Research. Hartford Seminary, Hartford Connecticut.
- Thumma, Scott (February 2006) Overview of megachurches in the United States. Hartford Institute for Religious Research. Hartford Seminary, Hartford Connecticut.
- Thumma, Scott. (1996) Exploring the Megachurch Phenomenon, excerpts from Doctoral Dissertation entitled "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: Megachurches in Modern American Society." Emory University
- Kelly, Joyce and Michael Conlon. (November 22, 2005) "'megachurches' draw big crowds", Reuters (accessed November 22, 2005)
- Thumma, Scott (February 2006) Overview of megachurches in the United States. Hartford Institute for Religious Research
- Database of Megachurches in the U.S. Maintained by Hartford Institute for Religion Research, updated regularly
- Church Growth Today research center run by John Vaughan
- "An anatomy of megachurches: The new look for places of worship", Slate, October 10, 2005
- Interview with Gary Bryson: "It’s A God thing: The rise of the megachurch", ABC Local Radio, April 24, 2005
- Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: "Myths of the modern megachurch", Pew Research Center event transcript of conference speakers, including Rick Warren, founder of Saddleback Church, and New York Times columnist David Brooks, May 23, 2005
- Luisa Kroll, "Megachurches, megabusinesses", Forbes, September 19, 2003
- How the World Sees America, Watch Washington Post correspondent Amar Bakshi interview Dr. David Yonggi Cho, leader of the world's largest megachurch.
