US Megachurches Grow as Smaller Congregations Struggle
Large megachurches in the United States have largely recovered from pandemic-era declines, while smaller churches continue to lose ground, according to Lifeway Research data from 2026. About 1,800 megachurches now operate in the country, concentrated in Sunbelt states. Weekly church attendance among all Americans has dropped from 32 percent in 2000 to roughly 20 percent today.
Large Protestant churches in the United States are growing, while smaller congregations continue to struggle, according to data compiled by Lifeway Research for the 2026 Outreach 100 report.
There are now an estimated 1,800 megachurches in the country, defined as congregations with consistent weekly attendance of at least 2,000 people. These churches are concentrated in Texas, Florida, Arizona, California, and Georgia, where suburban populations are expanding.
Life.Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, remains the largest congregation in the survey, with 85,000 weekly in-person attendees. Lakewood Church in Houston draws 45,000 in person and an estimated 10 million weekly television viewers. Elevation Church has reported annual revenues exceeding $90 million in recent years.
The growth of megachurches is happening against a backdrop of overall decline. Weekly church attendance among Americans has fallen from 32 percent in 2000 to about 20 percent in 2026. The percentage of Americans who say religion is vital to their daily lives has reached 49 percent, the lowest point since Gallup began tracking the metric in 2007.
Researchers describe the trend as "religious consolidation." Regular churchgoers are gravitating toward larger, programmatically rich congregations at the expense of smaller, neighborhood-based churches. Nondenominational and independent congregations make up the largest and fastest-growing segment of the megachurch movement.
Public trust in the church has edged up slightly, rising to 36 percent in 2025 from 32 percent in prior years. Pastors continue to face challenges around economic uncertainty and measuring discipleship outcomes.
Lifeway Research is currently collecting data for the full 2026 Outreach 100 report, which will be published later this year.
