Some surprises from a new study of America’s megachurches…
Today’s megachurches have fewer seats but fill them more often. They take in more money, yet giving has declined. More than ever take Communion weekly, while fewer than ever partner with other churches. They have less conflict than smaller churches, yet lose more staff and tithes when flareups occur.
These are among the many findings of the fifth national survey of America’s largest Protestant churches, released by Leadership Network and the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
Five years ago, the typical megachurch sanctuary had 1,500 seats for worship. Today, that figure is down to 1,200.
But those seats are filling up more often—megachurches now average five services per weekend. And almost two-thirds hold meetings in multiple locations, that’s up from 46 percent in 2010.
The survey includes responses from more than 200 congregations with 1,800-plus attendees.
The responses were self-reported and not independently verified, but Scott Thumma, survey co-author and professor of sociology of religion at Hartford Seminary, thinks the survey gives a nuanced look at the state of megachurches.
He says Many people assume that megachurches are wildly successful while small churches struggle, But he believes the study shows it’s not that simple.
Among the cultural changes affecting megachurches is a decline in weekly churchgoing. In 2005, almost all of the people attending megachurches came every week but that figure has dropped to 82 percent.