Following the Mega-Church Trend Part.1

In the hallways of our movement you can hear the whispers of pastors & leaders speaking of a long eluded goal. “When will Victory Outreach International see a mega-church emerge.” Fact is: for many years Victory Outreach La Puente was at mega-church status in the Los Angeles area. At one time it was the largest church in the region with the largest worship center in San Gabriel Valley seating over 3500 people. However, times do change, and the driving force of our movement has never really been building mega-type churches. We have always been focused on church planting. And for 42 years that is what we have done faithfully.

If the future of VOI does call for mega-churches to arise, what should we be looking for? What does a mega-church look like, and kind of work & personnel does it take to build a mega-church? For those of you who are interested, I have compiled some information that I hope is helpful to you.

1. 2000 or more people in attendance at weekend worship. 

2. A charismatic authoritative senior pastor.

3. A very active 7 day a week congregational community.

4. A multitude of social & outreach ministries.

5. A complex differentiated organizational structure. (Basically different structures that act independently & interdependently)

Here are a few more facts that you might find interesting:

The majority of megachurches (over sixty percent) are located in the southern Sunbelt of the United States – with California, Texas, Georgia and Florida having the highest concentrations.  

Generally, these congregations have significant parking lots and sanctuaries that are able to accommodate the large numbers of worshipers they attract.  The average megachurch has weekly attendance of 3857 persons.

Megachurches tend to grow to their great size within a very short period of time, usually in less than ten years, and under the tenure of a single senior pastor. Nearly all megachurch pastors are male, and are viewed as having considerable personal charisma. 

The senior minister often has an authoritative style of preaching and administration and is nearly always the singular dominant leader of the church.  Supporting these senior pastors are teams of 5 to 25 associate ministers, and often hundreds of full-time staff.  

The 406 megachurches surveyed in 2005 averaged 20 full time paid ministerial staff persons, and 22 full time paid program staff persons.  The average number of volunteer workers (giving 5 or more hours a week to the church) was 284.

Megachurches host a multitude of social, recreational, and aid ministries.  Likewise, a majority of megachurches employ intentional efforts at enhancing congregational community, such as home fellowships and interest-based small group meetings.  Contrary to expectations, these congregations promote intense personal commitment in a majority of their members but also contain a large percentage of anonymous spectators in their ranks.

Few megachurches have been exceptionally large for longer than the tenure of their current minister.  Evidence suggests, however, that these churches can remain vital following a shift in leadership from the founder to his successor.  Although some researchers argue the era of megachurch proliferation is drawing to a close, the total number has increased from 350 in 1990 to over 600 in 2000 and there are now over 1200 megachurches in the US.

Thanks to the Hartford Institute for Religious Studies

Elevate. 

Tags: church growth, Evangelism, Jesus, mega church, pastor al valdez, Victory Outreach San Diego