Scott Thumma
Friday, May 30, Indianapolis
Imagine a congregation where 10,000 people gather each week for worship, where church budgets are $15 million a year, and where thousands of people volunteer for programs weekly. Welcome to the world of megachurches. The past 30 years have seen a proliferation of these massive congregations throughout the nation. There are more than 1,300 of these congregations in the U.S., and while less than half a percent of all congregations, they attract more attention than all other religious communities in the nation combined.
Drawing on extensive, broad-based, and well-designed research, as well as stories and anecdotes, Megachurches: What Can My Church Learn from These Giants? dispels popular myths about megachurches while highlighting the diversity within the megachurch phenomenon. In this workshop, Scott Thumma reveals what these churches are and are not, why they are thriving, and what their members say about their experiences. Participants will explore the phenomenon to understand the common characteristics of megachurches, how they function, why they are attractive, and why they have many valuable lessons to teach smaller churches. Participants will discover what megachurch lessons can be used effectively by churches of all sizes and denominational traditions. The workshop will explore the application of these mega-ideas about a distinctive vision, intentional community building, partnering for ministry, and other topics pertaining to participants' local ministry settings.
Scott Thumma is the co-author of Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches and a faculty member at Hartford Seminary’s Hartford Institute for Religion Research. He is currently engaged in another national study of megachurches and in-depth field studies of 12 megachurches.
Megachurches is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, May 30, at Second Presbyterian Church, 7700 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis. The cost of the workshop is $30 a person ($25 a person for congregational teams of three or more). The fee includes lunch and a copy of Thumma’s book. Registrations received by May 23 guarantee lunch and a copy of the book.
