Mega-Church

Mega-churches are a cultural phenomenon of North Amercan evangelical churches. The movement is a trend toward consolidation into very large congregations, similar to the cathedral movement in Europe from the 1500s through the 1800s. "Mega-church" as a phrase has also become an adjective to describe aspects signficant to these larger congregations. Some common traits of mega-churches include:

• A large number of weekly attenders in worship services, typically 2,000 or more. Some mega-churches also boast large weekly Bible study attendance, though that is often not seen as essential.
  
  
• A highly-effective teacher or pastor; typically a "personality" who is known well locally and even nationally.
  
  
• An expansive church campus, with a large worship room capable of seating more than 1,000 people, along with spacious preschool and children's accommodations.
  
  
• A large paid staff, which may be augmented by a significant volunteer force. Typically the bulk volunteer responsibilities are concentrated on the operation of Sunday morning activities versus a broad daily ministry within the community.
  
  
• A broad range of programs for all ages, most of which take place at or near the church campus. Programs may include sports and recreation leagues, Bible study and discipleship activities, childcare and early learning programs, community ministries, aid to the poor and missions activities.
  
  
• Multiple locations of the same church, often called multicampus churches, in which the church's "main" campus is used to create teaching content for additional "satellites" located in nearby neighborhoods and even other cities.

The attraction of mega-churches is obvious in the North American culture, where the "big box" retailer mentality reigns. The church becomes a "one stop" resource for family, religious and community activity, much as Wal-Mart has done the same for shopping.

The long term implications of this philosophy are unknown, though it is widely thought by those outside mega-church circles that these giant congregations have led to a "consumer" mentality within the church--people seeking a self-satisfying mix of uplifting programs and family activities over a sacrificial and servant-focused relationship with the church body.Though I believe there are some individual mega-churches that run contrary to this trend, and having served in large church environments myself, I think "consumer" church membership is an ever-present danger that mega-church leaders must guard against.

Generally most mainstream Christian thinkers believe that the mega-church movement is waning, having reached its peak between 2004 and 2006. Some mega-churches have moved away from multi-campus offerings to embrance church planting, where new churches are formed from groups at a larger "home" church.