Introduction: The Megachurch Phenomenon

Abstract

The growth of the megachurch is undoubtedly one of the most exceptional religious trends of recent times, certainly within the Christian sphere.Generally, the term 'mega' is translated as 'extra-large' .Thus, the designation 'megachurch' would seem to imply both an architectural and congregational formation of considerable proportion and thereby drawing scholarly attention.Indeed, for their part, most informed academic studies, despite the varying perspectives adopted, appear to focus on the size of the congregation, that is, congregations with a weekly attendance (adults and children included) somewhere between 1,800 to 2,000 attendees (and that definition is mostly accepted in subsequent chapters of this volume).The relevant studies, largely restricted to those megachurches found within the Protestant tradition,1 invariably seek explanations for this development and those proffered are fairly straightforward.What is commonly termed the 'Megachurch Movement' (subsequently mcm) is not only frequently understood as a reaction to the shortcomings of the declining conventional Church, but amounts to a purposeful endeavour to render the Christian gospel message relevant to the contemporary setting or, as often preferred, the post-Christian Western society.In turn, the megachurch phenomenon is generally recognised as constituting the reflection of the prevailing cultural environment and, moreover, economic trends that have over-spilled into the sphere of religion.And, as a form of congregational life, the mcm has clearly spanned out beyond the United States from where it first emerged to diverse parts of the world Christianity has taken root and would appear to fulfil particular localised needs.Drawing academic attention has been the fact that the total number of megachurches in the usa at the close of the twentieth century had increased considerably (from 350 in 1990 to over 600 in 2000, then, in the early twenty-first 1 This is not to say that large-scale churches cannot be found throughout Christian history as the early chapters of this volume suggests, especially when the faith was of greater cultural and political significance than it is today.It might even be said that the earliest church in Jerusalem described in the New Testament (Acts 2: 42-47) formed the first 'megachurch' .Some Roman Catholic parishes currently number in excess of 2,000, but are normally not considered part of the mcm for largely structural, cultural and theological reasons -3,000 individual parishes (churches) have 2,000 or more attendants for an average Sunday Mass ('Megachurch Definition' , Hartford Institute of Religious Research database).

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