2005 Megachurch Statistics Report and Ascol’s Analysis

The Hartford Institute for Religious Research has recently released a statistical report of megachurches for the 2005 year. They define a megachurch as “any congregation with a sustained average weekly attendance of 2,000 persons or more in its worship services.” According to this report, there are over 1,200 megachurches in the United States which are broken down by denomination. This is a dramatic increase since 1990 where there were only 350 megachurches and in 2,000 where there were 600 megachurches. The avereage megachurch is also said to have 3,857 persons.

Here are some of the links to their research:

Profile of all U.S. Megachurches
Summary Report
Detailed Data
Comparison of 2000 and 2005 Study
Database of Megachurches in the U.S.

As many of you already know, P&P has been a critic of the church growth movement in America. It is important to qualify that statement by saying that I am NOT against church growth! There are many issues underlying the church growth movement which are very harmful to the Church, not the least of which is the lack of church discipline and value of church membership. You can go here and see all the megachurches listed by denomination, and as you scroll down to the SBC, you will see SBC megachurches whose average attendance reported are nowhere near what is actually true. Furthermore consider the following reports as studied by Tom Ascol:

2001
27905 members
21555 resident members
982 baptisms
683 other additions
9035 primary worship attendance

2002
28325 members
21686 resident members
801 baptisms
720 other additions
9186 primary worship attendance

2003
28837 members
21987 resident members
774 baptisms
652 other additions
8828 primary worship attendance

2004
29349 members
22189 resident members
774 baptisms
667 other additions
9168 primary worship attendance

Obviously, this would constitute as a megachurch. Now hear Ascol’s analysis:

In 4 years, according to the ACP, this church baptized 3331 people and had 2720 other additions. This means that 6051 people joined the church from 2001-2004. Yet, the primary worship attendance in 2001 was 9035 and in 2004 was 9168 or a total increase of 133. The resident membership increased from 21555 in 2001 to 22189 in 2004, a total of 634.

Again, Ascol gives another account of a megachurch in the SBC:

2001
3506 members
203 baptisms
253 other additions
2200 primary worship attendance

2002
3812 members
296 baptisms
190 other additions
2100 primary worship attendance

2003
4011 members
209 baptisms
137 other additions
2031 primary worship attendance

2004
4163 members
237 baptisms
204 other additions
1874 primary worship attendance

Ascol replies,

“Granted, they have baptized 945 people during that 4 year period and they have added 784 people by other means. But the church membership only grew by 657. It took 1729 new members for the church to grow by 657 members.

In addition those 1729 new members resulted in 326 fewer worshipers! If the church continues to grow at this rate then by the time it adds around 10,000 new members the preacher will be preaching to an empty auditorium at his ‘primary worship’ service.”

It looks like there are more problems out there than we realize, and this is just one of many. A small book which I highly recommend to you is by Os Guiness called Dining With the Devil: The Megachurch Movement Flirts With Modernity (Baker, 1993). Also, you may want to check out MacArthur’s Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World (Crossway, 1993) and This Little Church Went to Market: Is the Modern Church Reaching Out or Selling Out? (Evangelical Press, 2005) by Gary Gilley.