Who Attends Megachurches?

"Who are the more than five million people who weekly attend megachurches around the country? What attracts and keeps them involved at these churches? How do their attitudes and spiritual activities compare to worshippers at churches of other sizes?"

The National Survey of Megachurch Attenders, recently conducted by Leadership Network and Hartford Seminary’s Hartford Institute for Religion Research, addressed these questions to compose a unique portrait of these congregations.

“In planning and conducting the survey, our goal went beyond simple curiosity. Rather, we looked for the threads and patterns that would be of practical benefit to researchers and church leaders,” said Warren Bird, Leadership Network’s Director of Research and one of the principals behind the survey. “Take, for example, the finding that megachurch attenders are more likely to be single than their counterparts in other congregations. Pastors of mid-sized and small congregations may well want to see how adapting elements from the megachurch model would help them better serve that segment of their community.”

Highlights from the study include:

• Nearly two-thirds of megachurch attenders are under 45 years old, as compared to only one-third for all Protestant churches (62% vs. 35%).
• Nearly a third of megachurch attenders are single, unmarried persons. In a typical church, singles account for just 10% of the congregation.
• Megachurch attenders are both more educated and more affluent than attenders at other churches.
• The majority of megachurch attenders are not necessarily new to Christianity but nearly a quarter had not recently been in another church before coming to a megachurch.
• While newcomers almost always attend a megachurch at the invitation of family, friends or co-workers, the real attraction tends to be the church’s reputation, worship style and senior pastor.
• Long-term attendance flows from an appreciation for the church’s music/arts, social and community outreach and adult-oriented programs.
• 45% of megachurch attenders never volunteer at the church, and 40 percent are not engaged in a small group, the mainstay of megachurch programming.

Note: You can click here for the complete report.