Warren Bird, research director at Leadership Network, recently shared some incredible statistics about megachurches (those congregations with an average weekly worship attendance of at least 2,000) in the United States.
- 5 million – the number of people who worship at a megachurch during a typical week.
- 1,650 – the current number of megachurches in the United States.
- 0.5% – While almost 10% of Protestant churchgoers attend a megachurch, these churches represent only about half of one percent of the roughly 320,000 Protestant churches that exist in the United States.
So What?
More than 99% of local congregations are not megachurches. For this group, it is important to recognize the influence of megachurches on the expectations of those who visit your church. With some 10% of Protestants now attending a megachurch, it is reasonable to assume that many who visit your church may also visit a megachurch as they search for a community of faith.
- How many people worship in your local community of faith on an average week?
- What do you feel makes your church more attractive than a megachurch? less attractive?
- Have you ever attended a service of worship at a megachurch? What was that experience like?