n recent months we surveyed this group of very large churches and made some fascinating discoveries. The following list highlights some of the most important findings. We will also be releasing more of findings from this survey in the coming months.
• These churches are wired.
While 88% say their church/pastoral leadership uses Facebook or other social media on a regular basis, nearly three-fourths do podcasts and 56% blog.
• Multisite interest has grown dramatically.
Half are multisite with another 20% thinking about it.
• Growth is steady.
Despite occasional news reports that large churches are a Boomer phenomenon or are now in decline, a steady growth pattern remains evident, with these churches averaging 8% growth per year for last five years. Thus the stated average attendance for these churches grew from 2,604 in 2005 to 3,597 in 2010.
• The leader at the helm makes all the difference.
Seventy-nine percent say the church’s most dramatic growth occurred during tenure of current senior pastor.
via 2011 Summary Research Report of A New Decade of Megachurches.
