Megachurches

"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.'" - Gene Veith

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

"Some 42 percent of multi-sites come by way of merger. The typical merger is a mainline church in decline merging with an evangelical, often non-denominational church" - Christian Examiner

"The church in the U.S. is strong numerically, but weak because it is worldly. The church in America is in the world and of the world; and as a result, it is in profound cultural captivity." - Christianity Today

“It’s sort of like saying we’re not going to take the time to mentor and train and raise up other really effective communicators. We’re going to take our best communicators and just multiply that by campuses [aided] by video screens” - Christian Post

"A new study from Exponential by LifeWay ... gives a clear picture of the state of Protestant churches in America today. Most have fewer than 100 people attending services each Sunday (57%), including 21 percent who average fewer than 50. Around 1 in 10 churches (11%) average 250 or more for their worship services." - Christianity Today