CRC Mega-Churches Follow a Trend

Mega-churches that are part of the Christian Reformed Church in North America generally mirror the results of a recent study that reported that these large congregations tend to attract more younger and unmarried members than smaller, more established Protestant churches.

“The demographics as described in the survey are probably right,” says Neil Carlson, assistant director of the Center for Social Research at Calvin College.

Carlson helped to conduct a recent membership survey for the CRC which found some declines in denominational loyalty and devotional practices, especially among younger members, while overall church attendance has remained steady and the number of college-educated church members is on the rise.

In the CRC, there are probably two churches – one in Colorado and another in Ontario – that can be considered mega-churches, and two more that are moving in that direction, says Allen Likkel, director of ministry teams for Christian Reformed Home Missions.

The mega-church survey released last week included 24,900 people who attend services at 12 U.S. mega-churches. It found that almost two-thirds of those attending such institutions are under the age of 45, a sharp contrast to the 35 percent under 45 for all Protestant churches in the U.S.

“One caveat is that the study focuses on just 12 of the 1,300 mega-churches,” says Carlson. “The cases were ‘chosen for their representativeness,’ but that representativeness is not necessarily statistical, just conceptual.”

In addition, other studies tend to show that people who join mega-churches come from other churches, and are not necessarily people who are considered to be unchurched, says Carlson.

It is important, at least in the context of the CRC, to realize that in order for these churches to thrive they have to stand apart from denominational structure, says Carlson.

Ben Vandezande, interim director for Christian Reformed Home Missions, says he attended the CRC mega-church in Forest City, Ontario, and it mirrors part, but by no means, all of the study.

“Forest City attracts a cross-section of people because of their emphasis on outreach and relationships,” he says. Many of those who attend Forest City CRC have not been to church in many years, or not at all. They have a “laser focus” on reaching people who have not been to church before. “This is one of the most powerful witnessing churches that I’ve ever seen.”

Forest City, he says, truly understands the role of leadership and the significance of participating in many aspects of community life.

The mega-church phenomenon is probably a little different in Canada, where less than 30 percent of people go to church, he says. That number is much higher in the United States.

Conducted jointly by the Dallas-based Leadership Network, a non-profit public charity, and Hartford Seminary's Hartford Institute for Religion Research, based in Connecticut, the survey found that nearly one-third of those attending a mega-church are single and unmarried.

By contrast, single, unmarried persons constitute only one in 10 members in all Protestant churches in the United States.

"Pastors of mid-sized and small congregations may well want to see how adapting elements from the mega-church model would help them better serve that segment of their community," said Warren Bird, the Leadership Network's director of research.

Mega-churches tend to have thousands of members, and there are at least 1,300 of them in the United States, according to the Hartford Institute.

In their conclusion, Bird and co-author Scott Thumma, who teaches sociology of religion at Hartford Seminary, cautioned against too strong a contrast with the religious or spiritual experience at smaller churches.

They note that those attending mega-churches "are not radically different people from those who attend Protestant churches of all sizes. They don't come to a mega-church and then develop into a different kind of spiritual being."

Still, the authors note, "Participants interact with the mega-church on their own terms, to meet their individualized needs rather than following some prescribed or idealized plan created by the church's leadership."

As one example, the survey found that nearly half of mega-church attendees do not volunteer at their churches, and nearly as many, 40 percent, do not belong to what is considered the "mainstay" of church programming - engagement in a social or volunteer group.

Rev. Shawn Sikkema, pastor of Eastern Hills Community (CRC) in Aurora, Colo., says the study seems fairly accurate, although it is hard to typify any church, especially a large one.

“I know that we reach a pretty wide range of people. In fact, one of the things that happens as churches get larger is that they are able to increase the span (age, economics, marital/child status) etc. The simple reason for that is that in a larger group, you can almost always find folks who are in similar circumstances as you. That isn’t always possible in smaller settings.”

He says that in general most biblical churches, large and small, are trying to do the same things. “We are trying to reach the lost and disciple the found; we are trying worship God well and proclaim his Word; we are trying to love and serve each other in the world. So in many ways, we are in the same boat,” says Sikkema.

The full report of the survey is available at: www.leadnet.org/megachurch.

- CRC Communications and Ecumenical News International