what has led to the formation of megachurches?

Large house of worship

A megachurch is a church with an unusually large membership that besides offers a variety of educational and social activities, ordinarily Protestant or Evangelical. The Hartford Plant for Organized religion Research defines a megachurch as whatsoever Protestant Christian church having 2,000 or more people in average weekend attendance. The megachurch is an organization type rather than a denomination.

The concept originated in the mid 19th century, with the showtime one established in London, England, in 1861. More emerged in the 20th century, especially in the The states, and expanded apace through the 1980s and 1990s. In the early 21st century megachurches are widespread in the United states of america and a growing miracle in several African countries, Australia and elsewhere.

History [edit]

The origins of the megachurch motion, with many local congregants who return on a weekly basis, tin can exist traced to the 1800s.^{[1] [2]} In that location were big churches earlier, only they were considerably rarer. The first evangelical megachurch, the Metropolitan Tabernacle with a 6000-seat auditorium, was inaugurated in 1861 in London by Charles Spurgeon.^[3]

In the United States, in 1923, the Angelus Temple was inaugurated in 1923 with a v,300-seat auditorium in Los Angeles by Aimee Semple McPherson.^[4] A study by the Hartford Plant for Faith Enquiry published in 2020 constitute that lxx percentage of American megachurches had a multi-site network and an average of 7.vi services per weekend.^[v] The study besides institute that the majority of U.s. megachurches are located in Florida, Texas, California and Georgia.^[6]

Globally, these large congregations are a significant development in Protestant Christianity.^[7]

Definition [edit]

A megachurch has been divers by Hartford Institute for Religion Research (2006) and others as any Protestant Christian church which at least 2,000 attend in a weekend.^{[eight] [nine] [10] [eleven]} The OED suggests that megachurches often include educational and social activities and are usually Protestant or Evangelical denominations.^[12]

By region [edit]

Celebrity Dome, affiliated with Dunamis International Gospel Center, with 100,000 seats, in Abuja, Nigeria

Africa [edit]

Megachurches are plant in many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania, Nigeria, S Africa, Ghana, Republic of kenya, and Uganda.^[xiii] The largest church building auditorium, Glory Dome, was inaugurated in 2018 with 100,000 seats, in Abuja, Nigeria.^[14]

The Americas [edit]

United States [edit]

In 2010, the Hartford Found's database listed more than i,300 such megachurches in the The states; co-ordinate to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list had average attendance exceeding 10,000, with the highest recorded at 47,000 in average attendance.^[15] On one weekend in Nov 2015, effectually one in x Protestant churchgoers in the U.s., or virtually five million people, attended service in a megachurch.^[sixteen] 3,000 private Catholic parishes have ii,000 or more attendants for an boilerplate Sun Mass, but they are not called megachurches equally that is a specifically Protestant term.^[11]

In the United States, the phenomenon has more than quadrupled in the 2 decades to 2017.^[17]

Asia [edit]

In 2007, five of the 10 largest Protestant churches were in Republic of korea.^[18] The largest megachurch in the world by attendance is Due south Korea'due south Yoido Full Gospel Church, an Assemblies of God (Pentecostal) church, with more than 830,000 members equally of 2007.^{[eighteen] [nineteen]}

Australasia [edit]

According to Australian scholar Hey (2011), "in Australia, nigh all megachurch developments are Pentecostal, or charismatic and neo-Pentecostal offshoots".^[20]

1 of the first megachurches in Australia was the Christian Outreach Centre (COC),^[xx] at present the International Network of Churches.^{[21] [22]}

One of the most well-known megachurches in Australia is Hillsong Church, which originated in Sydney, New Southward Wales out of 2 Christian Life Middle churches and has since^[23] planted churches all effectually Australia and the world.^{[24] [25]} Other significant Australian international Pentecostal network ia the C3 Global Network, founded in 1980.^[22]

Criticism [edit]

In 2005, Baptist Pastor Al Sharpton criticized megachurches for focusing on "bedroom morals", statements against same-sex marriage and ballgame, past ignoring bug of social justice, such as the immorality of war and the erosion of affirmative action.^[26]

In 2018, American professor Scot McKnight of Northern Baptist Theological Seminary criticized nondenominational megachurches for the weak external accountability relationship of their leaders, by not existence members of a Christian denomination, further exposing them to abuse of power.^[27] However, a written report past the Hartford Institute for Faith Inquiry published in 2020 found that 60% of American megachurches were members of a Christian denomination.^[28]

Some megachurches and their pastors have been accused by critics of promoting a "prosperity gospel", where the poor and vulnerable are encouraged to donate their money to the church rather than saving information technology, in the hopes that God will bless them with wealth.^{[29] [30] [31]} This in plough increases the wealth of the pastors, with some revealed to clothing designer clothing during sermons and own luxury vehicles.^{[32] [33] [34]}

See also [edit]

• List of the largest evangelical churches
• Listing of the largest evangelical church auditoriums
• List of megachurches in the United States
• Pentecostalism in Commonwealth of australia

References [edit]

1. ^ Anne C. Loveland, Otis B. Wheeler, From Meetinghouse to Megachurch: A Textile and Cultural History, University of Missouri Press, USA, 2003, p. 35
2. ^ "Exploring the Megachurch Phenomena: Their characteristics and cultural context". Hirr.HartSem.edu. Archived from the original on Nov one, 2015. Retrieved February half-dozen, 2010.
3. ^ Stephen J. Hunt, Handbook of Megachurches, Brill, Netherlands, 2019, p. 50
4. ^ George Thomas Kurian, Marking A. Lamport, Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, Volume 5, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2016, p. 1471
5. ^ Maria Baer, U.s. Megachurches Are Getting Bigger and Thinking Smaller, christianitytoday.com, U.s., November 19, 2020
6. ^ Allen Kim (April 27, 2019). "What is a megachurch?". CNN . Retrieved March 30, 2021.
7. ^ Anne C. Loveland, Otis B. Wheeler, From Meetinghouse to Megachurch: A Material and Cultural History, University of Missouri Press, United states, 2003, p. 3
8. ^ "Church Sizes". www.USAChurches.org . Retrieved August 29, 2017.
9. ^ Baird, Julia (February 23, 2006). "The skillful and bad of religion-lite". The Sydney Forenoon Herald . Retrieved November five, 2006.
10. ^ Bryan S. Turner, The New Blackwell Companion to the Sociology of Faith, John Wiley & Sons, USA, 2010, p. 251
11. ^ ^{a b} "Megachurch Definition". Hartford Institute for Religion Enquiry. Archived from the original on May xiv, 2016. Retrieved February six, 2010.
12. ^ "megachurch". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
13. ^ Ukah, Asonzeh (February 6, 2020). "Chapter xv: Sacred Surplus and Pentecostal Besides-Muchness: The Salvation Economy of African Megachurches". Handbook of Megachurches. Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Faith, Volume 19. Brill. pp. 323–344. doi:10.1163/9789004412927_017. ISBN9789004412927 . Retrieved Feb 5, 2022.
14. ^ Taylor Berglund, Earth's Largest Church Auditorium Dedicated in Nigeria, charismanews.com, Dec 7, 2018
15. ^ "Hartford Institute for Organized religion Research, database of Megachurches". Hirr.HartSem.edu. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
16. ^ "The megachurch boom rolls on, but large concerns are rising too". Religion News Service. Dec 2, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
17. ^ "Redirect". www.SecularHumanism.org . Retrieved Baronial 29, 2017. {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
18. ^ ^{a b} "O come all ye faithful". Special Report on Religion and Public Life. The Economist. Nov three, 2007. p. 6. Retrieved Nov five, 2007.
19. ^ "In Pictures: America'due south 10 Biggest Megachurches". Forbes. June 26, 2009.
20. ^ ^{a b} Hey, Sam (2011). God in the Suburbs and Beyond: The Emergence of an Australian Megachurch and Denomination (PhD). Griffith University. doi:10.25904/1912/3059. Retrieved February 5, 2022. PDF
21. ^ "About". International Network of Churches . Retrieved Feb 5, 2022.
22. ^ ^{a b} "Hillsong becomes a denomination". Eternity News. September nineteen, 2018.
23. ^ "Higher history". Hillsong International Leadership College. August 31, 2007. Archived from the original on August 31, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2022 – via Trove.
24. ^ "Hillsong New South Wales". Hillsong Church building New South Wales . Retrieved February five, 2022.
25. ^ "Dwelling". Hillsong Church . Retrieved Feb 5, 2022.
26. ^ Associated Press, Megachurches have wrong focus, black leaders say, chron.com, USA, two juillet 2006
27. ^ James Wellman Jr., Katie Corcoran, Kate Stockly, Éloi Ficquet, High on God: How Megachurches Won the Center of America, Oxford University Press, UK, 2020, p. 212
28. ^ Warren Bird, Scott Thumma, Megachurch 2020 : The Changing Reality in America's Largest Churches, hirr.hartsem.edu, United states, 2020
29. ^ Biema, David Van (October three, 2008). "Maybe We Should Blame God for the Subprime Mess". Time magazine. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
30. ^ "How Megachurches Blurred the Line Between Organized religion and Riches". HowStuffWorks. Dec 1, 2017. Retrieved March xxx, 2021.
31. ^ "The Worst Ideas of the Decade (washingtonpost.com)". world wide web.washingtonpost.com . Retrieved March xxx, 2021.
32. ^ Niemietz, Brian. "Megachurch preacher buys wife a $200,000 Lamborghini, tells parishioners 'Don't confuse what I do with who I am'". nydailynews.com . Retrieved March 30, 2021.
33. ^ Rojas, Rick (April 17, 2019). "Let He Who Is Without Yeezys Cast the First Stone". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March xxx, 2021.
34. ^ Stevens, Alexis; Periodical-Constitution, The Atlanta. "Creflo Dollar'south ministry says he will get his $65 million jet". ajc . Retrieved March 30, 2021.

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megachurch

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