MEGACHURCH

A 'megachurch' is a large church, generally defined as having around 2,000 or more worshippers for a typical weekly service.^[1][2]
Critics of megachurches claim that such churches are more concerned with entertainment than religion^[3]. Rev. Al Sharpton has claimed that such churches focus on personal morality issues while ignoring social justice.^[4]
An illustration of the divergence from evangelicalism and pentecostalism that occurred recently was the failure of a number of US megachurches to hold worship services on Christmas Day in 2005 where it fell on a Sunday. However, many of these churches preferred to hold a service on Christmas Eve, as they discovered that it was more convenient for the people as they were able to spend Christmas Day celebrating with their family and friends.^[5]
Critics have raised issues with the application of secular business models,^[6] e.g., from Wal-Mart, a humanist or seeker-friendly approach, intensive market research and heavy reliance upon opinion polls, polished advertising targeted at affluent young professionals, unconventional worship styles, and Eastern influences.
Another criticism falls along cultural lines, including the fact that many megachurches are located in the United States. For example, in a December 2005 issue of ''The Economist'', a British reporter who visited Willow Creek church suggested that megachurches reflected U.S. trends Europeans consider negative, such as urban sprawl and the proliferation of McMansions.^[7]

Contents

References

Notes

External links

Organizations

References

★ Thumma, Scott and Dave Travis (August 2007) Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches. Published by Jossey-Bass and Leadership Network. ISBN 978-0-7879-9467-9

★ Thumma, Scott; Dave Travis & Warren Bird (February 2006) "Megachurches Today 2005: Summary of Research Findings". Hartford Institute for Religious Research. Hartford Seminary, Hartford Connecticut.

★ Thumma, Scott (March 2001) "Megachurches Today 2000: Summary of Research Findings. Hartford Institute for Religious Research. Hartford Seminary, Hartford Connecticut.

★ Thumma, Scott (February 2006) Overview of megachurches in the United States. Hartford Institute for Religious Research. Hartford Seminary, Hartford Connecticut.

★ Thumma, Scott. (1996) ''Exploring the Megachurch Phenomenon'', excerpts from Doctoral Dissertation entitled "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: Megachurches in Modern American Society." Emory University.

★ Kelly, Joyce and Michael Conlon. (November 22 2005) "'Megachurches' draw big crowds". Reuters (accessed 22 November 2005)

★ Thumma, Scott (February 2006) Overview of megachurches in the United States. Hartford Institute for Religious Research. Hartford Seminary, Hartford Connecticut.

Notes

1. Religion Gets Supersized at Megachurches
2. The good and bad of religion-lite
3. Long reach of a big church
4. Black Leaders Blast Megachurches, Say They Ignore Social Justice
5. Some megachurches closing for Christmas
6. Earthly Empire:How evangelical churches are borrowing from the business playbook
7. Jesus, CEO: Churches as businesses

External links

★ Database of Megachurches in the U.S. Maintained by Hartford Institute for Religion Research, updated regularly.

Organizations

★ Church Growth Today - Megachurch Research Center (Dr. John Vaughan)

★ Hartford Institute for Religious Research - Megachurch Research (Dr. Scott Thumma)