US Megachurches Grow Bigger as Smaller Churches Decline
A new survey from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research shows US megachurches have bounced back stronger than ever after the COVID-19 pandemic, while smaller congregations continue to struggle. One in three US Protestants now attends a church with more than 1,000 members. Megachurches make up less than 1 percent of Protestant churches but draw 17 percent of all weekly churchgoers.
US megachurches are growing again, and smaller churches are falling further behind, according to a new survey from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
One in three US Protestants now attends a church with more than 1,000 congregants. Megachurches, defined as congregations with 2,000 or more weekly worshipers, make up less than 1 percent of the nation's Protestant churches but account for 17 percent of all weekly churchgoers.
"The top 10 percent of churches have about 70 to 75 percent of all the people," said Scott Thumma, a coauthor of the report and a retired sociology of religion professor at Hartford International University.
The pandemic hit megachurches hard. Many canceled in-person services and took out federal Paycheck Protection Program loans. But they have since rebounded. Smaller churches have not seen the same recovery, with many still reporting declining attendance and some closing permanently.
Thumma said large churches adapt better because they have more resources to experiment. "Large congregations, much like large corporations and businesses, are adept at reading how society changes," he said.
One key strategy: the multisite model. The survey found that 67 percent of megachurches now operate multiple locations, sometimes across several states. 12Stone Church in Georgia, named the fastest-growing church in America by Outreach magazine in 2010, adopted this model in 2007 and surpassed 10,000 in weekly attendance by 2011.
To maintain community in large settings, 94 percent of megachurches use small groups. During the pandemic, 12Stone organized home groups that watched Sunday services together via livestream.
Thumma said megachurches also do more than people credit them for. "These congregations are open 24-7," he said. The report shows 41 percent of megachurches plant new churches, not just new campuses. Many share their facilities with food pantries and health clinics.
Still, researchers do not fully understand what makes one church grow into a megachurch while another stays small. "Not every burger joint is going to become McDonald's," Thumma said.
