Megachurches

“Megachurches and the men who lead them can be superrich. So why don’t the IRS and local authorities see a cent in taxes?” - RNS

“ ‘That we would change our stance on abortion and sexuality, that we will allow critical race theory, Black Lives Matter and defunding the police to drive our agenda as a church,’ he continued, noting that all those claims are ‘unquestionably untrue.’” - C.Post

“The common thread in all of these movements is that congregations are becoming more local. Fewer people desire to drive a long distance to attend a worship service. To state it more positively, people want to attend a house of worship that represents the neighborhood or locale where they live.” - Rainer

“Citing the denomination’s rapid growth and a desire to make way for younger leadership and a more effective organizational structure, Hillsong Church Global Senior Pastor Brian Houston announced Sunday that he and his wife, Bobbie, have decided to transition away from their leadership role.” - C.Post

“ ‘Megachurch 2020,’ a survey conducted by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability in partnership with the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, found that overwhelmingly, small groups are central to megachurches’ spiritual formation of members.” - CPost

“Hillsong founding pastor Brian Houston sent out an email to church staff and members of Hillsong East Coast on Wednesday afternoon, announcing the termination of Hillsong NYC’s lead pastor, Carl Lentz.” - CPost

“Two years after the tumultuous resignation of their longtime pastor and founder Bill Hybels under a cloud of sexual misconduct allegations, Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago announced Wednesday that they have selected Michigan megachurch pastor David Dummitt to replace him at the helm.” - CPost

“Neighbors in the Charlotte, North Carolina, Ballantyne neighborhood have repeatedly complained about noise from Elevation Church continuing as late as 10 p.m. And between December 2018 and November 2019, police in Seminole County, Florida, received 222 complaints against Action Church for noise issues.” - CToday

“The Church Growth Movement of a few decades ago promoted the use of marketing techniques to attract as many people as possible to form a ‘mega-church.’ But today’s marketing philosophy, enabled by online technology, focuses not on reaching vast numbers but on identifying individuals with highly specific interests and targeting them with tailor-made appeals…creating not ‘mega-’ but ‘micro-churches.’” -

“Myungsung, the world’s largest Presbyterian church, awaits denominational court ruling on pastoral succession.” - Christianity Today