Trend #4: More youthful megachurch pastors.
For better or worse, the historical pattern has been for a pastor to “climb the ladder” to different size churches. Ultimately a few pastors would make it to the level of a church averaging 2,000 or more in weekly attendance. They would tend to be older, having “paid their dues” for many years. Not so today. The average age of a megachurch pastor continues to decline. Indeed there are 25 megachurch pastors whose ages range from 30 to 37. The average age of the pastors of the largest 100 churches in America is 47.
Trend #5: More multi-venue, multi-campus churches.
I have noted this trend in numerous articles. Related to this trend, watch for a reduction in the size of newly-built worship centers in large churches and megachurches. Pastors are becoming increasingly attuned to the stewardship of using more facilities more often.
Trend #6: A greater interest in groups.
Megachurch leaders have a growing interest in groups as the church mechanism for assimilation, evangelism, fellowship, ministry, and more in-depth teaching. Groups have different names: small groups, Sunday school, life groups, home groups, etc. Megachurch leaders know that the health of their congregations can often be measured by the health of their groups. As the church grows larger, it must intentionally move smaller as well.
Trend #7: A greater interest in the source of growth of megachurches.
Megachurches are often caricatured as organizations that are mostly sociological rather than theological. Their growth, some critics argue, is but a reflection of the demographic growth of their communities. Such blanket critiques are unfair and largely unfounded. But there will be more and more analysis of the type of growth coming into megachurches. Is it transfer of members from other churches? Is it unchurched Christians returning to church? Does it represent a true evangelization of the communities in which the church is located?
Some will bemoan the attention given to megachurches, especially if it is done to the neglect of other, smaller churches. But, at the very least, these churches are profoundly impacting our culture and the way we do church. We ignore these trends to our peril.