Megachurch
A megachurch is a large church characterized by weekly attendance of 2000 people or more, an active congregational community, a large number of outreach and social ministries, and several other criteria.
A more recent trend is the "multi-site church", where a megachurch has multiple meeting locations. The general practice is for each campus to feature local music, but the main service to be simulcast (or re-broadcast) from the main location. An example involves Texas-based Gateway Church: the 4PM service from the church's main location in Southlake is live, and is simulcast or re-broadcast to the other locations (Fort Worth, North Richland Hills, Frisco, Dallas, and Grand Prairie).
A substantial number of megachurches are non-denominational, and most that are associated with denominations are associated with those considered either Evangelical (such as the Southern Baptist Convention) or Pentecostal or Charismatic, as opposed to mainline denominations such as the United Methodist Church.[1] Frequently, those megachurches that are denominationally-affiliated do not promote their affiliation to as to not dissuade people who oppose that denomination from attending or joining.
While some Catholic churches may meet the attendance criteria for a megachurch, the term is usually only applied to Protestant churches.[2]
Specific examples
- Pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, is a leading Southern Baptist megachurch in the United States, with a weekly attendance of just under 20,000, making it about the eighth largest congregation in the nation.[3]
- Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas draws 40,000 in weekly attendance. Lakewood Church (a non-denominational Charismatic church) meets in a former stadium equipped with lights and large flatscreen televisions. It manages a multi-million dollar television ministry. The largest church in America, it is also among the best examples of a megachurch.
- Crystal Cathedral, in Garden Grove, California, was built by a famous architect and is known for its music. It is constructed of thousands of panes of glass, holds nearly 3000 worshippers, and boasts one of the largest pipe organs in the world.[4]