One In Jesus

… the number of megachurches who are planting new churches is also rising according to our studies. Megachurches planting or helping to plant other congregations rose from 68% in 2000 to 70% in 2005 to 77% in 2008.Interestingly, those churches with satellite campuses were even more likely to have planted a church; only 16% never did, compared to 26% of those without satellites who never planted another church. Continue reading →

No church leaders will be surprised to learn that contributions in megachurches are essentially flat from 2005 — even a little down when adjusted for inflation — meaning that more churches are feeling the pinch. Even the largest churches have been affected by the overall economy.

More surprising, at least to me, is how they spend their money — Continue reading →

Megachurches have always been marked by a strong sense of mission and purpose. That has only become more so —

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Another aspect of congregational life that has dramatically changed in the past 8 years is the increasing emphasis on small groups. While small groups have always been seen as important to megachurches, they haven’t always been central to how many of these large churches function. In 2000, just half (50%) of the megachurches said small groups were central to their strategy for Christian nurture and spiritual formation. In 2008, that number had risen to 84% of megachurches affirming the centrality of a small group strategy. Continue reading →