Latest Megachurch Developments

Several Protestant denominations have been shrinking for decades. This includes many mainline denominations such as the Episcopalian Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., and the United Church of Christ. It also includes some large, stricter denominations like the Southern Baptist Convention.

Working against this trend is the relative success of megachurches (congregations with more than 2000+ in weekly attendance), with a larger share of Protestant churchgoers participating in megachurches instead of smaller and more traditional congregations.

The latest developments in this trend are reported in the latest megachurch report put out by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research:

Megachurch Resurgence: How Big-Attendance Churches Rebounded After the Pandemic

The report is long, and you do not have to read it carefully in its entirety. But you should skim through parts of it to get a good sense of the findings. Remember: the trend of more Americans participating in religion via megachurches is one of the biggest developments in American religion of the last couple decades.

Quoting from the press release, the main findings are:

• "Two-thirds (67%) of megachurches now exceed their pre-pandemic attendance, while 84% report their congregation is stronger today than before COVID.
• "Eighty-six percent describe themselves as thriving and optimistic about their future.
• "Financial health has improved significantly, with giving increasing faster than both inflation and attendance.
• "Racial diversity continues to grow, with 66% of megachurches now qualifying as multiracial, compared to 56% five years ago.
• "Community engagement remains central, with nearly nine in ten churches actively serving their surrounding communities and most opening their facilities for nonprofit, educational, civic, or community use.
• "Leadership development has become increasingly intentional, as more than three-quarters operate ministry residency or leadership development programs."

We should not overstate the religious success of megachurches. For example, fewer people are attending church weekly in most denominations. In particular, megachurches have seen a large decline in the number of members who attend weekly, as many people shift to monthly attendance instead of weekly attendance. Nonetheless, the continued relative success of megachurches is one of the most important developments in American religion of the last few decades.