One In Jesus

Modes of interaction and publicity with the broader relationship to the public have also shifted in 8 years according to our research findings. In 2000, 44% of megachurches reported having a radio ministry and 38% a television ministry. However, in our 2008 survey only 24% report a radio program and 23% claim to be on television, and most of this exposure is local or regional with only 4-8% of the megachurches broadcasting nationally or internationally. Needless to say, these churches use of the Internet was nearly 100% throughout this 8-year period, but our experience suggests that more megachurches are adopting web based streaming media to broadcast their message than the more costly radio and TV approaches.

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An area where significant proactive change clearly seems to be taking place among megachurches is within social ministry and community service programming and involvement. In 2000 a third (34%) of megachurches affirmed their congregation was “working for social justice.” By 2005, nearly a half (49%) of congregations somewhat or strongly agreed this phrase described them well and in 2008 51% of churches affirmed this.In the 2008 study, nearly three-quarters (73%) of the megachurches stated that community service activities were given a lot of programmatic emphasis in the past year or were a specialty of the church. Fifty-eight percent of churches say they invite new members to volunteer for service in the community. Additionally 90% of the megachurches surveyed agree that the phrase “We are a positive force for good in our community” describes them quite or very well. It is important to note, however, that the focus on social ministry, community outreach and social justice are emphases increasingly shared by over half of megachurches.

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It’s hardly all that novel for a church to have multiple services. That’s been going on for a long time. But the survey found that more churches are having more services. Why?

* Buildings are expensive. Multiple services avoid having to spend outrageous sums to build huge facilities.

* Land is hard to come by. In large cities, a campus large enough for a 5,000-seat auditorium, with classrooms, etc. may be impossible to find, unless the church moves many miles away. It’s just far more fiscally responsible to hold multiple services. Continue reading →

I guess most of us just assume that large churches have contemporary worship, but that’s not always been true. Many have grown with traditional worship styles. However, very few continue to be traditional.

What was a strong preference in 2000 is virtual unanimity in 2008. Nearly all megachurches have contemporary instruments. Continue reading →

Megachurches, on the whole, have minimal involvement in politics. Well, this is a surprise!

As you can see, the churches are moving toward the middle. Why?

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It’s interesting to ponder why the mega-churches would be more successful at blending the races than others. Do they make a special effort? Is it about being big? Or the quality of the programs?

Part of it has to be the simple fact that they want to be multi-ethnic. I mean, lots of churches like the idea of racial diversity but don’t actually pursue the goal. The key, I think, is actually trying. Continue reading →