It's megachurch week here at the blog. To coincide with the release of the top 100 church lists in Outreach Magazine, we will be sharing megachurch info here at the blog.

The word "megachurch" tend to elicit strong reactions. Megachurches are churches that average over 2,000 for worship gatherings. While "megachurch" does not necessarily equal healthy church, it would also be wrong to assume a megachurch always equals an unhealthy, man-centered Christianity. In fact recent studies are giving a more favorable picture of the megachurch than some might have expected.

A new study by Rodney Stark of Baylor University, now available in book form here, is dispelling the popular caricature of the megachurch as spiritual entertainment for the quasi-Christian baby-boomer. What Americans Really Believe reveals that megachurch members tend to be younger, practice evangelism more frequently, and are bigger on volunteerism than those in smaller churches. Oops. There go the stereotypes. And they aren't abandoning the harder, counter-cultural doctrines of the Christian faith either.

Those who attend megachurches are more likely to affirm historic Christian doctrines like hell, the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus Christ and his literal return than those in smaller churches. The Washington Post summarized this part of the study saying, "Ninety-two percent of megachurch members believe that hell "absolutely exists," compared with just over three-quarters of small-church members, the survey found. And eight in 10 megachurch worshipers believe that the Rapture -- when followers of Jesus Christ believe they will be taken to heaven -- will "absolutely" take place, compared with less than half of those who attend small churches."

For more coverage check out The Washington Times and The Washington Post.

Another study by Scott Thumma of Hartford Institute for Religion Research and Warren Bird of Leadership Network trace the megachurch movement over the past eight years and have found both positive consistency and adaptability. Here's a summary of some of their findings:

Megachurches - Protestant congregations that draw 2,000 or more adults and children in a typical weekend (attendance not membership) - show considerable consistency over the past eight years. They continue to:

• Grow in size,
• Lead the way as America's most multi-ethnic class of church,
• Show a strong bias toward contemporary worship, and
• Remain minimally involved in politics.

However, they also are institutions in transition. They are now:

• Offering more worship services and expanding to multiple-locations,
• Shifting to playing a greater role in community service,
• Decreasing their use of radio and television, and
• Putting greater emphasis on the role of small groups.

You should download their study (PDF) here to read it in full for free.

While there certainly are examples of megachurches who do little more than put on a show for the curious and uncommitted, this does not appear to be the case in most evangelical megachurchs. For those who are one prone to criticize the megachurch phenomenon, I bet even you can think of one megachurch you respect. The Baylor and Hartford/Leadership Network publications seem to point out that there are many others who are doing it right as well.

I am an advocate for all churches who exalt the gospel and reach their communities for the glory of Christ. That means bigger churches and smaller churches. As I have said before, I think Christians can learn from one another. Throughout this week I will be posting a series of interviews with some of the pastors of the fastest growing and largest churches in America, not because bigger is better, but because these churches have found ways of bringing the gospel to bear on the lives of a great number of people in their cities.

So, it's megachurch week-- come by every day and you will read interviews with megachurch pastors, read analyses, and see more research and information about megachurches.