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Critics of megachurches claim that such churches are more concerned with [[entertainment]] than [[religion]],<ref>{{cite web | last = Littlefield | first = Christina | title = Long reach of a big church | url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2006/sep/17/566669895.html | accessdate = 2006-11-05 }}</ref> earning them the nickname "Disney churches," or "Six Flags over Jesus."<ref name="Biard"/> [[Al Sharpton]] has claimed that such churches focus on personal [[morality]] issues while ignoring [[social justice]].<ref>{{cite news | agency = Associated Press | title = Black Leaders Blast Megachurches, Say They Ignore Social Justice | date = 2005-12-06 | url = http://www.christianpost.com/article/20060629/19533.htm | accessdate = 2006-11-05 }}</ref>
Critics of megachurches claim that such churches are more concerned with [[entertainment]] than [[religion]],<ref>{{cite web | last = Littlefield | first = Christina | title = Long reach of a big church | url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2006/sep/17/566669895.html | accessdate = 2006-11-05 }}</ref> earning them the nickname "Disney churches," or "Six Flags over Jesus."<ref name="Biard"/> [[Al Sharpton]] has claimed that such churches focus on personal [[morality]] issues while ignoring [[social justice]].<ref>{{cite news | agency = Associated Press | title = Black Leaders Blast Megachurches, Say They Ignore Social Justice | date = 2005-12-06 | url = http://www.christianpost.com/article/20060629/19533.htm | accessdate = 2006-11-05 }}</ref>

One criticism that has been used to presuppose a divergence from [[evangelicalism]] and [[Pentecostalism]] that occurred recently was the failure of a number of U.S. megachurches to hold worship services on [[Christmas Day]] in 2005, when it fell on a Sunday. However, the unique calendar situation presented challenges to tens of thousands of churches nationwide; many smaller and traditional congregations also faced the dilemma and opted to hold service on Christmas Eve, the eve of Christmas day, or call off services. Because of their size and influence, many megachurches were able to hold their service on [[Christmas Eve]] out of consideration for their volunteer team, so they were able to spend Christmas Day celebrating with their families and friends.<ref>{{cite news | agency = Associated Press | title = Some megachurches closing for Christmas | date = 2005-12-06 | url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-12-06-christmas-churches_x.htm | accessdate = 2006-11-05 }}</ref>


Critics have raised issues with the application of [[secular]] [[business model]]s,<ref>{{cite news | publisher = [[Business Week]] | title = Earthly Empire:How evangelical churches are borrowing from the business playbook | date = 2005-05-23 | url = http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_21/b3934001_mz001.htm | accessdate = 2006-11-05 }}</ref> e.g., from [[Wal-Mart]], a 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.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}}
Critics have raised issues with the application of [[secular]] [[business model]]s,<ref>{{cite news | publisher = [[Business Week]] | title = Earthly Empire:How evangelical churches are borrowing from the business playbook | date = 2005-05-23 | url = http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_21/b3934001_mz001.htm | accessdate = 2006-11-05 }}</ref> e.g., from [[Wal-Mart]], a 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.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}}

Revision as of 21:50, 13 June 2010

A megachurch is a church having around 2,000 or more attendants for a typical weekly service.[1][2] The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to these data, about 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000.[3] Additionally, while some 3,000 individual Roman Catholic parishes (churches) have 2,000 or more attendants for a typical weekly service, these churches are not seen as part of the megachurch movement.[4]

Globally, these large congregations are a significant development in Protestant Christianity. While generally associated with the United States, the phenomenon has spread worldwide; as of 2007, five of the ten largest Protestant churches are in South Korea.[5] Most megachurches tend to be evangelical or Pentecostal, and are often semi-independent from the major Christian denominations.

History

The megachurch movement, with a large number of local congregants who return on a weekly basis, is usually thought to have begun in the 1950s.[6] There have been large churches earlier in history, but they were considerably rarer. Examples include Charles Spurgeon's Baptist Metropolitan Tabernacle in London which attracted 5,000 weekly for years in the late 1800s, and religious broadcaster Aimee Semple McPherson's Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, which was similarly large.[7] The current largest megachurch in the world is the Yoido Full Gospel Church, with 830,000 members as of 2007.[5]

In the United States, more than half of these large church institutions are non-denominational churches.[citation needed] Those that have ties to a larger body are most often members of the Southern Baptist denomination, which accounts for perhaps one in five megachurches.[citation needed] The Assemblies of God claim approximately one in ten.[citation needed] Another one-tenth of the megachurches are associated with historically African American denominations, such as African Methodist Episcopal, (A.M.E.), and the Church of God in Christ (COGIC).[citation needed]

Adjustments to cater for size

Coping with the large numbers of people who attend megachurches requires many adjustments.

The immense architecture of the megachurch requires that the entire congregation can see and hear. Large open spaces allow line of sight to elaborate video presentations and projections.

The need for large parking lots to accommodate worshipers has often led these churches to be located on the outskirts of large cities, on tracts encompassing multiple acres. A recent trend shows megachurches may have one or more "satellite" locations away from the main church, which will have a small local staff. However, the main message is presented by the senior pastor via video presentation. This is referred to as the multi-site movement.

The ministry of these churches must also be adjusted for size. Much of the actual teaching work of the church is handled by committees and smaller meetings outside the weekly services themselves, which are almost exclusively meant for collective (sometimes enthusiastic) worship, with relatively few people engaged in up-front roles. Congregational oversight is generally limited to an annual meeting (where a budget and "board of directors" is approved); in some cases, the senior pastor has complete authority over all decisions.

Many were launched by a single pastor, a person who combines engaging sermons with the organizational skills needed to facilitate a large scale weekly service and manage the team who runs it. To complement the large-scale sermons, some churches supplement this strongly with smaller independent groups (called "cell churches" by some, notably David Yonggi Cho).

Criticism

See also: McChurch

A common criticism of megachurches is that they draw members away from other churches.[8] This has led some to use the term "big box churches". The majority of North American church-goers attend small churches of fewer than 200 members.[9]

Critics of megachurches claim that such churches are more concerned with entertainment than religion,[10] earning them the nickname "Disney churches," or "Six Flags over Jesus."[2] Al Sharpton has claimed that such churches focus on personal morality issues while ignoring social justice.[11]

Critics have raised issues with the application of secular business models,[12] e.g., from Wal-Mart, a 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.[citation needed]

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 Community Church suggested that megachurches reflected U.S. trends Europeans consider negative, such as urban sprawl and the proliferation of larger single-family homes.[13]

Some megachurches, including the Christian Open Door, are sometimes criticized by former members and anti-cult associations for an alleged use of cultic practices.[14]

References

  1. ^ Sims, Amy. "Religion Gets Supersized at Megachurches". Retrieved 2006-11-05.
  2. ^ a b Biard, Julia. "The good and bad of religion-lite". Retrieved 2006-11-05.
  3. ^ "Hartford Institute for Religion Research, database of Megachurches". Hirr.hartsem.edu. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  4. ^ "Megachurch Definition". Hirr.hartsem.edu. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  5. ^ a b "O come all ye faithful". Special Report on Religion and Public Life. The Economist. 2007-11-03. p. 6. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  6. ^ "Exploring the Megachurch Phenomena: Their characteristics and cultural context". Hirr.hartsem.edu. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  7. ^ National Historic Landmarks Program, Angelus Temple
  8. ^ "EEUU: las megaiglesias atraen sobre todo a menores de 45 años (U.S.: megachurches attract mostly younger than 45 years)". Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  9. ^ "National Congregations Study, Cumulative Dataset (1998 and 2006-2007)". Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  10. ^ Littlefield, Christina. "Long reach of a big church". Retrieved 2006-11-05.
  11. ^ "Black Leaders Blast Megachurches, Say They Ignore Social Justice". Associated Press. 2005-12-06. Retrieved 2006-11-05.
  12. ^ "Earthly Empire:How evangelical churches are borrowing from the business playbook". Business Week. 2005-05-23. Retrieved 2006-11-05.
  13. ^ "Jesus, CEO: Churches as businesses". The Economist. 2005-12-20. Retrieved 2006-11-05.
  14. ^ Template:Fr Lucien Naegelen (1996-04-21). "Le supermarché de Dieu" (PDF). Alsace. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
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