wfn.org | Megachurches cluster in Bible belt, new FACT study shows

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

For additional information contact:
Dr. Scott Thumma
Faith Communities Today (FACT)
Hartford Seminary
860.509.9543
Email: Sthumma@hartsem.edu
http://FACT.hartsem.edu

Note to Editors:  Two FACToids are
available for use with this story.
Contact Dr. Thumma or download from
Website: www.FACT.hartsem.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HARTFORD, CT. Nov. 4, 2001--The first major study of  "megachurches" 
clearly shows that location is very important, according to Scott Thumma, 
faculty associate at Hartford Seminary's Institute for Religion Research 
(HIRR). Nearly 72 percent of churches with average weekly attendance of at 
least 2,000 persons are found in swath from Georgia and Florida across 
Texas to California. (See FACToid .)

Fewer of these very large congregations are located in New England (a mere 
2 percent) than in any other part of the nation.

Thumma's research is part of a sweeping study, called Faith Communities 
Today (FACT), which covers 90 percent of all U.S. Christian, Jewish and 
Muslim congregations. Thumma's analysis focused on these huge Protestant 
congregations where average weekly attendance last year was 3,857. His work 
is based on an extensive questionnaire that was sent to 600 very large 
congregations.

The FACT study shows that the rapid development of these large 
congregations took place during the last two decades. Attendance during 
that period shot up at an average rate of 90 percent. The research 
indicates that the megachurches are a phenomenon of the suburbs of very 
large cities. Nearly two-thirds are located in or around cities of 250,000 
or more.

Despite their size, nearly half of the megachurches described themselves as 
a "close-knit family."  Thumma reported that nearly all of the large 
churches have small fellowship groups and that fully half had an 
intentional strategy
of utilizing the more intimate small group structures. When asked to 
describe the theological character of the megachurches, 48 percent of the 
respondents characterized the congregations as "evangelical." Another 14 
percent were described as "charismatic" while only two percent used the 
term "fundamentalist."  (See FACToid.)
Thumma says that the megachurches are generally regarded as pacesetters. 
"Even if a small congregation doesn't desire to have a 3,500-person worship 
service, it still looks to the programmatic characteristics of the 
megachurches for clues about what it is doing."  His analysis has been 
posted on the project's website: http://ww.FACT.hartsem.edu.

The Hartford Seminary researcher is not surprised at the relatively 
conservative bent of the huge congregations. He pointed out that by nature 
the conservative Christian world is pastor-centered or pastor-driven. 
Pastors of megachurches have very high visibility. Seventy percent of all 
the megachurches in the study reported that the
growth took place during the tenure of the current senior pastor. On the 
average, the senior pastor is 52 years old and has served the congregation 
more than 12 years. Eighty-eight percent of the megachurch pastors are 
white, six percent African American and six percent are of another racial 
or ethnic background; 99 percent are male. These churches have an average 
of 13 full time ministerial staff persons and 25 full time paid program 
staff people. Still, the megachurches use large numbers of volunteers; on 
average they report 297 volunteer workers giving at least five
hours a week to the church.

The FACT website lists the core questions used in the survey and offers an 
online, interactive workbook enabling congregations to compare themselves 
with others. The FACT survey of U.S. congregations is the most extensive
ever conducted. It was funded by the Lilly Endowment and coordinated by the 
Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Hartford Seminary's Professors 
Carl S. Dudley and David A. Roozen are co-directors of Faith Communities
Today.

--MORE INFORMATION FOLLOWS:

Nearly one third of the megachurches are independent, unaffiliated with a 
denomination. Even those that have denominational ties tend not to 
participate in their faith group's meetings and activities. Only 30 percent 
of the huge congregations that acknowledge denominational links say that 
they "express [its] denominational heritage."  Forty nine percent said that 
denominational leadership was of no importance to them.

Thumma believes that denominations "have more to gain by having 
megachurches as part of their flock than the large congregation can gain 
from the national church body."  Only 27 percent purchase educational or 
other materials from
denominational sources. Worship styles in these large congregations are 
different, according to the survey. They are not highly liturgical. They 
use visual projection devices, electronic amplification, and between a 
third and a half of the megachurches have a radio and/or a television 
ministry. Nearly 8 out of 10 of these churches utilize electronic 
keyboards, guitars and drums in their services. Sunday school and youth 
programs are almost universal in the megachurches, according to Thumma's 
findings. The average adult Sunday school attendance is 856 and the large 
churches have an average of 788 children and youth under 18 years of age in 
their educational programs each week. Fifty-nine percent have sports and 
physical fitness teams.

The megachurches also support social ministry programs in their 
communities. Seventy eight percent host or contribute to thrift stores and 
provide temporary or permanent housing / shelter. Nearly every megachurch 
provides
counseling services or support groups.

They place high reliance on the authority of the Bible (88 percent) and 
very small importance on historic creeds, doctrine or tradition (8 
percent). Sixty percent of the congregations always include an altar call 
in the service of worship.

The average total annual income of the very large churches was $4.8 million.

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