Megachurch

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Interior view of the Crystal Cathedral , a former California megachurch. The director was Robert Schuller .
Lakewood Church , a converted stadium, with 16,800 seats for over 40,000 members and services in English and Spanish.

With Mega Church ( Greek μέγας "Mégas", "large" and English church , "church") is, especially in the United States , an evangelical Protestant individual congregation or parish designated a week at least 2,000 visitors. The Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea is considered the first megachurch .

The expansion of the megachurches has seen great growth since the 1970s, so that the number of congregations with over 2,000 visitors in the USA has grown from around 70 congregations since 1984 to over 1,700 in 2012. The largest is the Lakewood Church in Texas, which is visited by 43,000 believers every week. However, the phenomenon of very large individual churches is not limited to the United States, but has spread to Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia since the 1980s. Outside the United States, most of the megachurches in 2018 are in Kenya (43), China (41), Korea (38) and Nigeria (33). In addition to the Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea with 480,000 weekly visitors, the Calvary Temple Church in India (190,000 visitors) and the Bethany Church of God in Indonesia (140,000 visitors) are among the largest mega-churches in the world.

Structure of the megachurches

In the United States in 2005 there were over 1200 churches with an average of over 2000 worshipers per week, with an average of all megachurches around 4000. Most megachurches have one church building that can hold 2000 to 8000 people, and typically hold several church services every weekend so that the number of visitors can be significantly larger than the number of seats in the church building. The largest American megachurch has over 40,000 worshipers on average. Over 60% of the megachurches are spread over different locations (so-called multi-site churches), for example the Life.Church with over 30 locations. Megachurches exist in most American states, but the majority can be found in California , Texas , Florida, and Georgia . Theologically, megachurches are usually evangelical , around a quarter tend to prosperity gospel (German: prosperity gospel ). 40% of the congregations are non-denominational, while the remainder is more or less closely tied to a denomination , most of them Baptists .

Typically, a megachurch is led by a senior pastor who is a key figure in the growth of the church. This is usually characterized by a high popularity and has u. a. Characteristics such as media suitability and eloquence. The senior pastor represents the identity of the church and is also responsible for the enthusiasm of the believers. He takes over the management and organization of the congregation and is supported by a team of full-time and part-time co-pastors and employees (an average of 75 people) as well as hundreds of volunteers.

The visitors to the services consist of the following groups: On the one hand, the formal members of the community, from whom a minimum of donations or other commitment is expected. On the other hand, the audience is made up of so-called attenders (visitors who are not members) and unchurched people (people distant from the church). These groups tend to take part in church services at irregular intervals and represent the main target group of the megachurches. They should be encouraged to become a member and volunteer through specific offers. This alignment of the megachurches can, if Max Weber's classification is followed, be interpreted as a link between the elements of both religious sects and churches. On the one hand, they strive to mobilize as many people as possible and accordingly allow weak ties. On the other hand, they see themselves as a religious training camp, in which the believers are to be strengthened in their personal ties. The organizational model of the megachurches allows for different forms of bonding through the organizational and functional linking of the elements from church and sect, so that they can address the broadest possible audience.

In contrast to "normal churches", the desired integration takes place through the orientation towards the personal needs of the believers. The focus is on the individual with their individuality, knowledge of religious traditions and rituals plays a rather minor role here. Instead, the personal experience of God is emphasized, so one can speak of a subjectification of religiosity. The design of the worship service therefore has a special role, as it should create both unique experiences and a sense of community. The extensive technical equipment such as the concert stage, multimedia technology and professional lighting and sound technology are reminiscent of the equipment of pop or rock concerts.

In addition to the church services, the megachurches, depending on their organizational orientation, offer various religious small groups, leisure, sport and service offers, e.g. in the form of youth groups, fitness studios or car repairs. About 30% also have an online campus , which includes live streams of church services, chats for common prayer, online pastoral care and much more.

criticism

Megachurches are criticized for various reasons, both for non-ecclesiastical motivation and by followers of other forms of church. The polemical term McChurch is often used in this context . The Baptist Pastor David Platt speaks of successful churches in an entertainment-driven culture that need a good show and a first-class program by professionals in expensive buildings. The majority of North American worshipers are in smaller congregations, often with fewer than 200 members. According to their impression, the megachurches offer a sterile, mass-produced and impersonal process that can be compared with the fast food from McDonald’s . Critics claim that with an emphasis on performance and stage technology in the course of the service, it is more about entertainment than worship and preaching of the gospel . Al Sharpton has also alleged that these churches confine themselves to issues of personal morality only and ignore their vocation to promote social justice. In the mirror , megachurches were described as "a temple of wellbeing with an entertainment program".

Examples

United States

International

Evangelical major churches in German-speaking countries

  • Gospel Forum (Stuttgart-Feuerbach; neo-charismatic free church; leading pastor: Peter Wenz ; 3,500 weekly visitors)

Web links

literature

  • Thomas Kern, Insa Pruisken: Managing contingencies through organization. The growth of the US megachurches . In: Heidemarie Winkel and Kornelia Sammet (eds.): Religion sociologically thinking. Reflections on current developments in theory and empiricism. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 2017, pp. 407-427.
  • Thomas Kern, Insa Pruisken: What is a religious market? On the change in religious competition in the USA. In: Journal of Sociology . Volume 47, 2018, pp. 29-45.
  • Thomas Kern, Uwe Schimank : Megachurches as religious organizations: A third type of community beyond sect and church? In: Cologne journal for sociology and social psychology . tape 65 , Supplement 1, December 2013, p. 285-309 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kern, Thomas and Pruisken, Insa: What is a religious market? On the change in religious competition in the USA. In: Journal for Sociology, 2018, p. 30.
  2. ↑ Thumma, Scott and Travis, Dave: Beyond Megachurch Myths. What We Can Learn From America's Largest Churches, San Francisco 2007
  3. ↑ http://hirr.hartsem.edu/megachurch/definition.html
  4. ↑ Kern, Thomas: Mega churches in South Korea. A case study using the example of the Yoido Full Gospel Church. In Korea 2002. Politics, Economy, Society, Ed. Patrick Köllner, 165–196. Hamburg: Institute for Asian Studies, 2002, p. 166.
  5. ↑ Chaves, Mark: All creatures great and small: Megachurches in context. In: Review of Religious Research, 2006, 47: 329-346
  6. ↑ Thumma, Scott and Travis, Dave: Beyond Megachurch Myths. What We Can Learn From America's Largest Churches, San Francisco 2007, pp. 6-7
  7. ^ Thumma, Scott, and Bird, Warren: A New Decade of Megachurches: 2011 Profile of Large Attendance Churches in the United States. 2012, p. 1
  8. ↑ Kern, Thomas: The other growth miracle: Protestant churches in South Korea. Journal of Sociology, 2001, 30: 341–361
  9. ↑ http://leadnet.org/world
  10. ↑ https://www.life.church/locations/
  11. ↑ Bird, Warren and Thumma, Scott: Recent Shifts in America's Largest Protestant Churches: Megachurches 2015 Report. Dallas & Hartford: Leadership Network & Hartford Seminary, 2015, p. 10
  12. ↑ http://hirr.hartsem.edu/megachurch/definition.html
  13. ↑ Kern, Thomas and Schimank, Uwe: Megakirchen as religious organizations: A third type of community beyond sect and church? In: Cologne journal for sociology and social psychology. Volume 65, Supplement 1, December 2013, p. 301
  14. ↑ Thumma, Scott and Travis, Dave: Beyond Megachurch Myths. What We Can Learn From America's Largest Churches, San Francisco 2007, pp. 62–69
  15. ^ Thumma, Scott, and Bird, Warren: A New Decade of Megachurches: 2011 Profile of Large Attendance Churches in the United States. 2012, p. 11
  16. ↑ Kern, Thomas and Pruisken, Insa: Contingency management through organization. In: Heidemarie Winkel and Kornelia Sammet (eds.): Religion sociologically thinking. Reflections on current developments in theory and empiricism. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 2017, p. 417
  17. ↑ Kern, Thomas and Schimank, Uwe: Megakirchen as religious organizations: A third type of community beyond sect and church? In: Cologne journal for sociology and social psychology. Volume 65, Supplement 1, December 2013
  18. ↑ Kern, Thomas and Pruisken, Insa: Contingency management through organization. In: Heidemarie Winkel and Kornelia Sammet (eds.): Religion sociologically thinking. Reflections on current developments in theory and empiricism. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 2017 pp. 407–427.
  19. ↑ Garlic, Hubert. Popular religion. On the way to a spiritual society. Frankfurt am Main: Campus, 2019, p. 93
  20. ^ Gebhardt, Winfried: Festivals, celebrations and events. On the sociology of the extraordinary. In: Winfried Gebhardt, Ronald Hitzler & Michaela Pfadenhauer (eds.), Events. Sociology of the Extraordinary. Opladen: Leske & Budrich, 2000, pp. 18-22
  21. ^ Marie-Astrid Langer: Jesus Christ, America's superstar. With pop music and video installations, "Megachurches" attract tens of thousands of believers . NZZ, Zurich July 27, 2019, p. 5
  22. ↑ Kern, Thomas and Schimank, Uwe: Megakirchen as religious organizations: A third type of community beyond sect and church? In: Cologne journal for sociology and social psychology. Volume 65, Supplement 1, December 2013, p. 299
  23. ↑ Kern, Thomas and Pruisken, Insa: Contingency management through organization. In: Heidemarie Winkel and Kornelia Sammet (eds.): Religion sociologically thinking. Reflections on current developments in theory and empiricism. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 2017, p. 415.
  24. ↑ Bird, Warren and Thumma, Scott: Recent Shifts in America's Largest Protestant Churches: Megachurches 2015 Report. Dallas & Hartford: Leadership Network & Hartford Seminary, 2015
  25. ↑ David Platt: No compromises. Follow Jesus - at all costs , Frontiers, Meinersen 2017, p. 50
  26. ↑ Christina Littlefield: Long reach of a big church . Archived from the original on October 16, 2006. Retrieved November 5, 2006.
  27. ^ Julia Biard: The good and bad of religion-lite . Retrieved November 5, 2006.
  28. ^ Black Leaders Blast Megachurches, Say They Ignore Social Justice , Associated Press . December 6, 2005. Retrieved November 5, 2006. 
  29. ↑ Susanne Weingarten: Karaoke for Christ . In: SPIEGEL special . No. 9 , November 21, 2006, p. 30 : “The megachurches in the USA are huge temples of wellbeing with an entertainment program. Until now, the priests liked to rage against gays, feminism and abortion. But many, especially younger evangelicals, no longer like that and would rather get involved in Africa and climate protection. "
  30. ↑ http://cccinfo.org/
  31. ↑ Gateway Church: Gateway Church 2016 Annual Report. Gateway Church, February 27, 2016, accessed July 7, 2017 .
  32. ↑ The largest Christian communities in the world are evangelical. An investigation showed that almost all of them belong to the charismatic Pentecostal wing. Idea Spektrum, Liestal May 4, 2016, page 21
  33. ↑ Aufbruch Verlag: Wolfhard Margies. Aufbruch Verlag, 2015, accessed on July 7, 2017 .