Megachurch

Large Christian house of worship; generally Protestant

A megachurch is a church with a very large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities. Most megachurches are Protestant, and particularly Evangelical, although the word denotes a type of organization, not a denomination. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as any Protestant Christian church that draws 2,000 or more people in a weekend.

The first megachurch was established in London, England, in 1861. More emerged in the 20th century, especially in the United States, and expanded rapidly through the 1980s and 1990s. In the 21st century, megachurches became widespread in the United States and a growing phenomenon in several African countries and Australia. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, they shifted away from traditional church architecture, with most newer ones having stadium-type seating.[citation needed]

## History

[edit]

Baptist Metropolitan Tabernacle, in London, England

The origins of the megachurch movement, with many local congregants who returned on a weekly basis, can be traced to the 19th century.[1][2] There were large churches earlier, but they were considerably rarer.

The first evangelical megachurch was founded in 1861 in London by Charles Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, which had a 6,000-seat auditorium.[3]

The first megachurch in the United States was the Angelus Temple, founded in 1923 by Aimee Semple McPherson in a 5,300-seat auditorium in Los Angeles.[4]

## Features

[edit]

A megachurch has been defined by Hartford Institute for Religion Research (2006) and others as any Protestant Christian church which at least 2,000 attend in a weekend.[5][6][7][8] The OED suggests that megachurches often include educational and social activities and are usually Protestant and Evangelical.[9] These large congregations are a significant development in Protestant Christianity.[10]

Most of these churches build their buildings in the suburbs of large cities, near major roads and highways, to be visible to as many people as possible and easily accessible by car.[11][12] Some install a large cross as decoration for believers and to signal to potential new members.[13]

A 2020 study by the Hartford Institute found that 70 percent of American megachurches had a multi-site network and an average of 7.6 services per weekend.[14] The study also found that most U.S. megachurches are in Florida, Texas, California, and Georgia.[15]

Churches that gather more than 10,000 people every Sunday have been dubbed gigachurches.[16][17] In 2015, there were about 100 gigachurches in the United States. [18]

Several megachurch pastors also preach on television or radio programs, thereby also being televangelists. Aimee Semple McPherson was a pioneer of radio evangelism and a founder of an early megachurch. Robert Schuller, Oral Roberts, Jerry Falwell, Joel Osteen, and T. D. Jakes developed both megachurch and television audiences.

## By region

[edit]

### Africa

[edit]

The Glory Dome, affiliated with Dunamis International Gospel Center, with 100,000 seats, in Abuja, Nigeria

Megachurches are found in many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda.[19] The largest church auditorium, The Glory Dome, was inaugurated in 2018 with 100,000 seats, in Abuja, Nigeria.[20]

### America

[edit]

The Dream Center Headquarters in Los Angeles Show on the life of Jesus Christ at City Church, affiliated to the Brazilian Baptist Convention, in São José dos Campos

In 2010, the Hartford Institute's database listed more than 1,300 megachurches in the United States. About 50 churches on the list had average attendance exceeding 10,000, and one had 47,000.[21] On one weekend in November 2015, around one in ten Protestant churchgoers in the U.S.—about 5 million people—attended service in a megachurch.[22] Some 3,000 individual Catholic Church parishes have 2,000 or more attendants for an average Sunday Mass, but they are not called megachurches as that is a Protestant term.[8]

In the United States, the phenomenon has more than quadrupled in the two decades to 2017.[23]

### Asia

[edit]

In 2007, five of the ten largest Protestant churches were in South Korea.[24] In 2007, the largest megachurch in the world by attendance was South Korea's Yoido Full Gospel Church, an Assemblies of God (Pentecostal) church, with more than 830,000 members.[24][25]

Graha Bethany Nginden, is a megachurch which is one of the largest churches in Surabaya, Indonesia and Southeast Asia. The Church is affiliated with Bethany Indonesian Church.

### Australia

[edit]

Australian scholar Sam Hey wrote in 2011 that "almost all megachurch developments are Pentecostal, or charismatic and neo-Pentecostal offshoots".[26]

One of the first megachurches in Australia was the Christian Outreach Centre (COC),[26] now the International Network of Churches.[27][28]

Hillsong Church was founded in 1983 in Sydney, New South Wales, out of two Christian Life Centre churches and has since planted churches all around Australia and the world. [29] Another significant Australian international Pentecostal network is the C3 Global Network, founded in 1980.[28]

## Criticism

[edit]

In 2005, Baptist Pastor Al Sharpton criticized megachurches for focusing on "bedroom morals", statements against same-sex marriage and abortion, by ignoring issues of social justice, such as the immorality of war and the erosion[clarification needed] of affirmative action.[30]

A study by the Hartford Institute published in 2020 found that 60 percent of American megachurches were members of a Christian denomination.[31] In 2018, American professor Scot McKnight of Northern Baptist Theological Seminary criticized nondenominational megachurches for the weak external accountability relationship of their leaders, by not being members of a Christian denomination, further exposing them to abuse of power.[32]

Some megachurches and their pastors have been accused by critics of promoting prosperity theology, where the poor and vulnerable are encouraged to donate their money to the church rather than saving it, in the hopes that God will bless them with wealth.[33][34][35] This in turn increases the wealth of the pastors, with some revealed to wear designer clothing during sermons and own luxury vehicles.[36][37][38]

## See also

[edit]

* List of the largest evangelical churches
* List of the largest evangelical church auditoriums
* List of megachurches in the United States
* Pentecostalism in Australia

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Loveland & Wheeler 2003, p. 35.
2. ^ "Exploring the Megachurch Phenomena: Their characteristics and cultural context". Hirr.HartSem.edu. Archived from the original on November 1, 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
3. ^ Hunt 2019, p. 50.
4. ^ Kurian, George Thomas; Lamport, Mark A.; Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, Volume 5, Rowman & Littlefield, 2016, p. 1471
5. ^ "Church Sizes". www.USAChurches.org The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
6. ^ Baird, Julia (23 February 2006). "The good and bad of religion-lite". Retrieved 5 November 2006.
7. ^ Turner, Bryan S.; The New Blackwell Companion to the Sociology of Religion, John Wiley & Sons, 2010, p. 251.
8. ^ a b "Megachurch Definition". Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
9. ^ "megachurch". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
10. ^ Loveland & Wheeler 2003, p. 3.
11. ^ Hunt 2019, p. 77.
12. ^ Wilford, Justin G.; Sacred Subdivisions: The Postsuburban Transformation of American Evangelicalism, NYU Press, 2012, p. 78.
13. ^ Loveland & Wheeler 2003, p. 156.
14. ^ Maria Baer "US Megachurches Are Getting Bigger and Thinking Smaller" christianitytoday.com, 19 November 2020
15. ^ Kim, Allen (27 April 2019). "What is a megachurch?". CNN. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
16. ^ Tribune, Jeff Strickler Star. "What makes a gigachurch go?". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
17. ^ Stanley D. Brunn, The Changing World Religion Map: Sacred Places, Identities, Practices and Politics, Springer, USA, 2015, p. 1683
18. ^ Multisite 2016: What’s New and What’s Next? outreachmagazine.com, Jim Tomberlin, 31 December 2015
19. ^ Ukah, Asonzeh (2020). "Chapter 15: Sacred Surplus and Pentecostal Too-Muchness: The Salvation Economy of African Megachurches". Handbook of Megachurches. Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion, Volume 19. Brill. pp. 323–344. doi:10.1163/9789004412927_017. ISBN 9789004412927. S2CID 213645909.
20. ^ Taylor Berglund (2018) World's Largest Church Auditorium Dedicated in Nigeria, charismanews.com
21. ^ "Hartford Institute for Religion Research, database of Megachurches". Hirr.HartSem.edu. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
22. ^ "The megachurch boom rolls on, but big concerns are rising too". Religion News Service. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
23. ^ "Redirect". www.SecularHumanism.org. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
24. ^ a b "O come all ye faithful". Special Report on Religion and Public Life by The Economist. 3 November 2007. p. 6. Retrieved 5 November 2007.
25. ^ "In Pictures: America's 10 Biggest Megachurches". Forbes. 26 June 2009.
26. ^ a b Hey, Sam (2011). God in the Suburbs and Beyond: The Emergence of an Australian Megachurch and Denomination (PhD). Griffith University. doi:10.25904/1912/3059. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
27. ^ "About". International Network of Churches. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
28. ^ a b "Hillsong becomes a denomination". Eternity News. 19 September 2018.
29. ^ Sam Hey, Megachurches: Origins, Ministry, and Prospects, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2013, p. 66-67, 265-266
30. ^ Associated Press, Megachurches have wrong focus, black leaders say, chron.com, July 2, 2006.
31. ^ Bird, Warren; Thumma, Scott; Megachurch 2020 : The Changing Reality in America’s Largest Churches, hirr.hartsem.edu, 2020.
32. ^ Wellman, James Jr.; Corcoran, Katie; Stockly, Kate; Ficquet, Éloi; High on God: How Megachurches Won the Heart of America, Oxford University Press, 2020, p. 212
33. ^ Biema, David Van (3 October 2008). "Maybe We Should Blame God for the Subprime Mess". Time magazine. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
34. ^ "How Megachurches Blurred the Line Between Religion and Riches". HowStuffWorks. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
35. ^ "The Worst Ideas of the Decade". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
36. ^ Niemietz, Brian. "Megachurch preacher buys wife a $200,000 Lamborghini, tells parishioners 'Don't confuse what I do with who I am'". nydailynews.com. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
37. ^ Rojas, Rick (17 April 2019). "Let He Who Is Without Yeezys Cast the First Stone". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
38. ^ Stevens, Alexis; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Creflo Dollar's ministry says he will get his $65 million jet". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 30 March 2021.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Hunt, Stephen (2019). Handbook of Megachurches (PDF). Brill. ISBN 9789004412927.
* Loveland, Anne; Wheeler, Otis (2003). From Meetinghouse to Megachurch: A Material and Cultural History. ISBN 0826214800.

* v
* t
* e

Megachurches

Africa|

| Eastern|

* Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church
* Miracle Centre Cathedral
* United Family International Church
* Watoto Church

|

Southern|

* Doxa Deo Church
* New Covenant Ministries International

Western|

* Canaanland
* Deeper Life Bible Church
* Dunamis International Gospel Centre
* Faith Tabernacle
* International Evangelism Center - African Interior Mission
* Living Faith Church Worldwide
* Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries
* National Temple
* Redeemed Christian Church of God
* Synagogue Church of All Nations
* Watchman Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement
* Word of Life Bible Church

Asia|

| Eastern|

* Global Mission Church
* Myungsung Presbyterian Church
* Onnuri Community Church
* SaRang Community Church
* Shatin Baptist Church
* Suwon Central Baptist Church
* Yoido Full Gospel Church

|

South-
Eastern|

* Bread of Life Ministries International
* Cathedral of Praise
* Christ's Commission Fellowship
* City Harvest Church
* Day by Day Christian Ministries
* Faith Community Baptist Church
* Grace Assembly of God
* Graha Bethany Nginden
* Victory
* New Creation Church

Southern|

* Bethel Assembly of God Church
* Church of Signs and Wonders
* New Life Fellowship Association
* New Life Assembly of God
* Zünheboto Sümi Baptist Church

Europe|

| Eastern|

* Faith Church
* Emanuel Baptist Church of Oradea
* Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations
* Hillsong Ukraine

|

Northern|

* All Souls Church, Langham Place
* Credokirken
* Christ Faith Tabernacle
* Freedom Church
* Hillsong Church UK
* Hope City Church
* Holy Trinity Brompton
* Kensington Temple
* KingsGate Community Church
* Kingsway International Christian Centre
* LIFE Church UK
* Livets Ord
* New Wine Church
* Relentless Church
* Renewal Christian Centre
* Soul Survivor

Western|

* Charisma Christian Church
* Impact Christian center
* International Christian Fellowship
* Christian Open Door Church

North
America|

* Casa de Dios
* Centre Street Church
* Fraternidad Cristiana de Guatemala
* New Life Church
* Metropolitan Bible Church
* Mision Cristiana Elim Internacional

| U

| M

* Bethlehem Baptist Church (MN)
* Cornerstone Church (IA)
* Crossroads (OH)
* Eagle Brook Church (MN)
* Eastern Star Baptist Church (IN)
* Elmbrook Church (WI)
* Family Christian Center (IN)
* First Baptist Church (IN)
* Ginghamsburg Church (OH)
* Granger Community Church (IN)
* James River Church (MO)
* Journey Church (WI)
* Spring Creek Church (WI)
* Substance Church (MN)
* Upper Arlington Lutheran Church (OH)
* Wooddale Church (MN)
* World Harvest Church (OH)

| IL|

* City First Church
* Community Christian Church
* The Crossing Church
* Harvest Bible Chapel
* Moody Church
* Parkview Christian Church
* Salem Baptist Church
* Wheaton Bible Church
* Willow Creek Community Church

|

MI|

* Faith Church
* Kensington Church
* Mars Hill Bible Church
* Renaissance Unity Interfaith Spiritual Fellowship
* Triumph Church
* Westwinds Community Church
* Woodside Bible Church

* Crossroads Community Cathedral (CT)
* Faith Fellowship Ministries World Outreach Center (NJ)
* The First Cathedral (CT)
* First Presbyterian Church (PA)
* LCBC (PA)
* Walnut Hill Community Church (CT)

| NY|

* Brooklyn Tabernacle
* Calvary Baptist Church
* Christian Cultural Center
* Emmanuel Baptist Church
* Greater Allen A. M. E. Cathedral of New York
* Hillsong NYC
* Times Square Church

|

* Chestnut Ridge Church (WV)
* Cross Church (AR)
* First Presbyterian Church (MS)
* Highview Baptist Church (KY)
* Pinelake Church (MS)
* Life.Church (OK)
* McLean Bible Church (DC)
* National Community Church (DC)
* NewSpring Church (SC)
* Relentless Church (SC)
* Seacoast Church (SC)
* Southeast Christian Church (KY)
* Southland Christian Church (KY)

| AL|

* Briarwood Presbyterian Church
* Church of the Highlands
* Faith Chapel Christian Center
* Frazer United Methodist Church
* First Baptist Church (Montgomery, Alabama)
* Gardendale First Baptist Church
* Hunter Street Baptist Church

|

FL|

* Antioch Missionary Baptist Church
* Bethel Church
* Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale
* Celebration Church
* Christ's Church
* Christ Fellowship
* Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church
* El Rey Jesús
* First Baptist Church, Jacksonville
* First Baptist Church, Panama City
* Segadores de Vida

GA|

* 12Stone
* Buckhead Church
* Church of the Apostles
* Ebenezer Baptist Church
* First Baptist Church, Atlanta
* First Baptist Church, Woodstock
* Free Chapel
* New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
* North Point Community Church
* Peachtree Presbyterian Church
* Perimeter Church
* Sherwood Baptist Church
* Victory Church

MD|

* Covenant Life Church
* First Baptist Church, Glenarden
* Greater Grace World Outreach
* Living Word International Christian Church
* Mt. Ennon Baptist Church
* Reid Temple A.M.E. Church

NC|

* Calvary Church
* Elevation Church
* Hickory Grove Baptist Church
* Northside Baptist Church
* The Summit Church

TN|

* Bellevue Baptist Church
* Christ Presbyterian Church
* Cornerstone Church
* Faith Promise Church
* First Presbyterian Church
* Germantown Baptist Church
* Mason Temple
* Second Presbyterian Church
* Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ

TX|

* Abundant Living Faith Center
* Beltway Park Church
* Berachah Church
* Experience Life
* Fellowship Church
* First Baptist Church
* First Presbyterian Church
* Gateway Church
* Grace Church Houston
* Green Acres Baptist Church
* Inspiring Body of Christ Church
* Lakewood Church
* Park Cities Presbyterian Church
* Prestonwood Baptist Church
* Second Baptist Church Houston
* Stonebriar Community Church
* The Potter's House
* Watermark Community Church
* Windsor Village United Methodist Church

VA|

* Bethany Baptist Church
* First African Baptist Church
* Immanuel Bible Church
* Korean Central Presbyterian Church
* McLean Bible Church
* Thomas Road Baptist Church

* Central Christian Church (NV)
* Christ's Church of the Valley (AZ)
* Cornwall Church (WA)
* Dream City Church (AZ)
* King's Cathedral and Chapels (HI)

* Mission Community Church (AZ)
* New Hope Christian Fellowship (HI)
* Overlake Christian Church (WA)
* Real Life Ministries (ID)

| CA|

* Angelus Temple
* Bayside Church
* Bel Air Church
* Bethel Church
* Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa
* The Church on the Way
* Crenshaw Christian Center
* Crossroads Christian Church
* Dream Center
* First African Methodist Episcopal Church
* Friends Church
* Grace Community Church
* Harvest Christian Fellowship
* Heart Revolution Church
* Mariners Church
* North Coast Church
* Peoples Church
* Redemption Church
* Rock Church
* Rolling Hills Christian Church
* Saddleback Church
* Sandals Church
* Sarang Community Church of Southern California
* Shadow Mountain Community Church
* Shepherd Church
* Skyline Church
* West Angeles Cathedral

|

CO|

* Colorado Community Church
* Flatirons Community Church
* First Presbyterian Church
* Impacto De Fe
* New Life Church
* Timberline Church

Oceania|

* Air Church
* Arise Church
* Bayside Church
* C3 Church Global
* Calvary Christian Church
* Citipointe Church
* City Impact Church New Zealand
* CityLife Church
* Crossway Baptist Church
* Destiny Church
* Edge Church
* Hillsong Church
* Hillsong Brisbane
* Horizon Church
* Influencers Church
* Inspire Church
* Planetshakers Church
* Riverview Church

South
America|

* Attitude Baptist Church
* El Lugar de Su Presencia
* Comunidad Cristiana Agua Viva
* Hillsong Church São Paulo
* City Church
* International Charismatic Mission Church
* International Grace of God Church
* Reborn in Christ Church
* Lagoinha Church
* Temple of Solomon
* World Church of God's Power

* v
* t
* e

Evangelical Protestantism in the United States

Churches|

| Baptist Family|

* Southern Baptist Convention
* Independent Baptist
* Missionary Baptists
* Conservative Baptist Association of America
* Free Will Baptist
* General Association of Regular Baptist Churches

|

Lutheran Family|

* Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
* Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

Presbyterian Family|

* Presbyterian Church in America

Pentecostal Family|

* Assemblies of God USA
* Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)
* Foursquare Church
* Pentecostal Church of God
* Pentecostal Holiness Church
* Apostolic Pentecostal

Restorationist Family|

* Churches of Christ
* Christian Churches and Churches of Christ

Congregationalist Family|

* Conservative Congregational Christian Conference

Holiness Family|

* Church of the Nazarene
* Wesleyan Church
* Free Methodist Church
* Church of God (Anderson, Indiana)

Keswickian Family|

* Christian and Missionary Alliance

Reformed Family|

* Christian Reformed Church in North America

Adventist Family|

* Seventh-day Adventist Church

Nondenominational Family|

* Association of Vineyard Churches
* Calvary Chapel Association

History|

* Azusa Street Revival
* Black church
* Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
* Fundamentalist–modernist controversy
* Great Awakening
* First Great Awakening
* Second Great Awakening
* Cane Ridge Revival
* Third Great Awakening
* Fourth Great Awakening
* Healing revival
* Los Angeles Crusade (1949)
* Revival of 1800

Thought|

* Baptism by fire
* Baptism with the Holy Spirit
* Believers' Church
* Biblical literalism
* Biblical inerrancy
* Biblical patriarchy
* Biblical womanhood
* Born again
* Christianity and abortion
* Christian Zionism
* Decision theology
* Evangelical theology
* Full Gospel
* Kingdom theology
* Quiverfull
* Second work of grace

Practices|

* Altar call
* Contemporary worship
* Contemporary worship music
* Mourner's bench
* Prayer warrior
* Revival meeting
* Camp meeting
* Tent revival
* Sinner's prayer

Forms|

* Bible church
* Megachurch
* Televangelism

Movements|

* Apostolic-Prophetic Movement
* Bapticostal movement
* Christian fundamentalism
* Evangelical left
* Exvangelical
* Jesus movement
* Post-evangelicalism
* New Apostolic Reformation
* Neo-charismatic movement
* Red-Letter Christians
* Seven Mountain Mandate
* Transformational Christianity

Institutions|

* Christianity Today International
* Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
* Evangelical Climate Initiative
* Evangelical and Ecumenical Women's Caucus
* Fuller Theological Seminary
* Moody Bible Institute
* National Association of Evangelicals
* National Religious Broadcasters
* Promise Keepers
* World Vision United States
* Youth for Christ

Major figures|

* Aimee Semple McPherson
* Billy Graham
* Billy Sunday
* C. I. Scofield
* Charles Grandison Finney
* Dwight L. Moody
* Franklin Graham
* Jerry Falwell
* Jonathan Edwards

Authority control databases

International|

* FAST

National|

* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Israel

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