The Leadership Network and Hartford Seminary’s Hartford Institute for Religion Research have just released a report on the findings of the largest ever national representative study of megachurch attendees:
Who are the more than five million people who weekly attend megachurches around the country? What attracts and keeps them involved at these churches? How do their attitudes and spiritual activities compare to worshippers at churches of other sizes?
[…]Findings in the survey stretch from pure demographics to the nature and quality of megachurch attenders’ spiritual life. Among the most prominent conclusions are:
Nearly two-thirds of megachurch attenders are under 45 years old, as compared to only one-third for all Protestant churches (62% vs. 35%).
Nearly a third of megachurch attenders are single, unmarried persons. In a typical church, singles account for just 10% of the congregation.
Megachurch attenders are both more educated and more affluent than attenders at other churches.
The majority of megachurch attenders are not necessarily new to Christianity but nearly a quarter had not recently been in another church before coming to a megachurch.
While newcomers almost always attend a megachurch at the invitation of family, friends or co-workers, the real attraction tends to be the church’s reputation, worship style and senior pastor.
Long-term attendance flows from an appreciation for the church’s music/arts, social and community outreach and adult-oriented programs.
45% of megachurch attenders never volunteer at the church, and 40 percent are not engaged in a small group, the mainstay of megachurch programming.
Read the press release and access the full report here.