When I tell people where I go to church, one of the city’s megachurches, I’m often asked, “How do you attend such a big church? Do you know anybody there?”

Actually, I do…lots of people. It’s not a step-out to say that the experience is as personal to me, in terms of relationships, as growing up in smaller church. That may sound surprising, and even I didn’t think it possible when my husband and I started attending four years ago, but it’s absolutely true.

The predominant perception of the megachurch is that it’s a roomful of nameless, faceless people, who worship independently and anonymously, with no sense of shared community.

The latest findings from the Baylor Religion Survey, an extensive survey recently conducted on American religious attitudes, refute this perception. A total of 1,648 adults chosen randomly from across the country answered more than 350 items in the survey.

"None of the things we all believe about the megachurch is true," said Dr. Rodney Stark, Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences at Baylor and co-director of the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR).

The study found that “even with congregations of more than 1,000 members, megachurches surprisingly are more intimate communities than small congregations of less than 100 members.”

Additionally, “when compared to small congregations, the survey found that megachurch members display a higher level of personal commitment by attending services and a Bible study group and tithing.”

If your church falls into the “megachurch” category, what are you doing to make your large congregation seem smaller and feel closer, in terms of facilitating personal relationships? How are you ensuring that your members have a shared sense of community even in such a large group?

I’m always interested in hearing from you. You can reach me at jill@rpnmag.com.

God Bless,

Jill Pinheiro
Managing Editor

P.S. I’ll be launching a weekly blog this month on our Web site, www.rpnmag.com, providing yet another way to keep you updated on the latest products and services to hit the church market.