Megachurch facts for kids
A megachurch is a very big church. It has many members and offers lots of activities. These can include classes and social events. Most megachurches are Protestant Christian churches. They are often Evangelical. A megachurch is defined by its size. It is not a specific type of Christian group. Experts say a megachurch has 2,000 or more people attending each weekend.
The first megachurch started in London, England, in 1861. More began to appear in the 1900s. They grew quickly in the United States. In the 2000s, megachurches became common in the U.S. They also grew in parts of Africa and Australia. Newer megachurches often look like stadiums inside.
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History of Megachurches
The idea of megachurches started in the 1800s. Before that, very large churches were rare. These churches have many local members. These members come back every week.
The first evangelical megachurch opened in 1861. It was in London. Charles Spurgeon founded it. It was called the Metropolitan Tabernacle. It had seats for 6,000 people.
The first megachurch in the United States opened in 1923. It was the Angelus Temple. Aimee Semple McPherson started it. It was in Los Angeles. This church had seats for 5,300 people.
What Makes a Megachurch Special?
Experts define a megachurch by its size. It is a Protestant Christian church. At least 2,000 people attend its services each weekend. These churches often offer many activities. They can include classes and social events. They are usually Protestant and Evangelical.
Most megachurches build their buildings in suburbs. They are often near big roads. This makes them easy to see and reach by car. Some churches put up a large cross. This helps to welcome believers. It also helps to attract new members.
A study in 2020 looked at American megachurches. It found that 70 percent had multiple locations. This is called a multi-site network. They had an average of 7.6 services each weekend. Most U.S. megachurches are in Florida, Texas, California, and Georgia.
Gigachurches
Some churches are even bigger. They gather more than 10,000 people every Sunday. These are sometimes called gigachurches. In 2015, there were about 100 gigachurches in the United States.
Many megachurch pastors also preach on TV or radio. They are known as televangelists. Aimee Semple McPherson was a pioneer in radio preaching. She also founded an early megachurch. Other famous pastors include Robert Schuller and Joel Osteen. They built both large churches and TV audiences.
Megachurches Around the World
Africa
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Megachurches are found in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. This includes countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana. The largest church auditorium is The Glory Dome. It opened in 2018 in Abuja, Nigeria. It has 100,000 seats.
United States
In 2010, there were over 1,300 megachurches in the United States. About 50 of these had more than 10,000 people attending. One church had 47,000 attendees. On one weekend in 2015, about 5 million people went to a megachurch. This was about one in ten Protestant churchgoers.
The number of megachurches in the U.S. has grown a lot. It has more than quadrupled in 20 years.
Asia
In 2007, five of the ten largest Protestant churches were in South Korea. The biggest megachurch in the world was in South Korea. It was the Yoido Full Gospel Church. It had over 830,000 members.
Australia
Many megachurches in Australia are Pentecostal. They are also called charismatic churches. One of the first megachurches there was the Christian Outreach Centre. It is now called the International Network of Churches.
Hillsong Church started in 1983 in Sydney. It has grown to have churches around Australia and the world. The C3 Global Network is another big Australian church group. It started in 1980.
Images for kids
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The Dream Center Headquarters in Los Angeles
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A show about the life of Jesus Christ at Igreja da Cidade in São José dos Campos in 2017
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See also
In Spanish: Megaiglesia para niños
- List of the largest evangelical churches
- List of the largest evangelical church auditoriums
- List of megachurches in the United States
- Pentecostalism in Australia
