"These churches can do a ton of things that smaller churches can't," said Nancy Ammerman, professor of the sociology of religion at the Boston University School of Theology. "They have the resources to produce a professional-quality production every weekend, with music (often specially composed for the occasion and backed by a professional ensemble) and video and lighting and computer graphics and a preacher who knows how to work a crowd.”
But they also support "dozens or even hundreds of specialized opportunities for people to get involved in doing things with a small group of others," said Ammerman, according to Reuters.
“It's just that there are so many paths into involvement that a smaller church just can't match,” she added.
Scott Thumma, a sociologist of religion at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, said his research indicates there are at least 1,200 U.S. Protestant churches that claim more than 2,000 weekly attendees. Meanwhile, some churches, such as Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.; Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill.; and Lakewood Church in Houston, each draw 20,000 or more on a weekend.
Megachurches are addressing the needs of Americans who are disinterested in "traditional church" yet want to deepen a sense of meaning in their lives, Thumma told Reuters. Classes and volunteer ministry opportunities lead to a deeper commitment, he added.
According to Thumma, megachurches “have opened worship to the seeker and the unsaved rather than reserving Sunday worship for the saved and sanctified."
Since Thumma began his research at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research in 1988, he has collected data on over 800 mega-churches across America. In July, Thumma launched the most vigorous survey of America’s mega churches through which he hopes to learn more about the rapidly growing phenomenon.
Although Thumma said the mega-church model will likely be mimicked in the future – not only for their size or their cultural relevance, but also for their desire to fulfill the holistic needs of a member – he noted that not every church will "go the way of the mega-church," and that different people "resonate with different things."
Currently, the largest known congregation of Christian adherents around the world is Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea. The Pentecostal Christian church numbered 780,000 members in 2003.
Joseph Alvarez
Christian Today Correspondent