Megachurches have 2,000+ members and are strongest in North America, with some having up to 50,000 members. They cater to new Christians and have a wide range of services beyond the main worship hall. Many have active outreach and community service programs. They are largely independent and critics argue they offer a “light” version of Christianity.
A megachurch is a church with a congregation of 2,000 or more, with some megachurches having as many as 50,000 members. The megachurch movement began in the United States in the 1950s and continues to be strongest in North America, although it has spread to parts of Asia, particularly Korea. These churches are also known as “seeker churches,” because they cater primarily to new Christians and seekers, rather than Christians who are already attending services.
The design of a megachurch is about much more than just the church itself. Typically, megachurches are led by a single charismatic minister, who handles most of the services in the church. The church also includes a monumental support staff to manage the day-to-day operations of the church, and is also supported by a large volunteer and donor base.
Many megachurches are more like small villages, with a wide range of services beyond the main worship hall, which can accommodate up to 16,000 people for services in some cases. A megachurch also usually has a large parking lot with shuttles, sports clubs, restaurants, bookstores, and a wide variety of other services on offer, allowing people to run errands on their way to church. Megachurches are also structured to be destinations for the whole family, with targeted youth programs designed to keep young Christians entertained while their parents attend streamlined services on the main church grounds.
Many megachurches have very active outreach and community service programs in the hopes of reaching even more potential converts. These programs are often run largely by volunteers who contribute free of charge to the work of the church as part of their commitment to service and range from educational seminars to donations of work to build homes for the poor. Organizing all of this requires a team of top-level administrators who are dedicated, talented and highly motivated.
Most megachurches are offshoots of the Protestant church and are considered largely independent. Some have been so successful that they have been able to establish satellite locations, with the main services broadcast via satellite off site.
The megachurch movement has been heavily criticized by people who believe it offers a version of the “light of Christianity” while at the same time alienating worshipers from smaller congregations. While Christianity’s light charge could certainly be corroborated by random sermons and pop music instead of hymns, megachurches generally don’t steal worshipers from other churches, due to the focus on recent converts. Furthermore, proponents of megachurches argue, while the Christian message may be more light-hearted than it is in some churches, it also reaches far more people, and if one’s goal is conversion, megachurches certainly do the duty for you.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
