Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) [Hardcover]

Scott Thumma (Author), Dave Travis (Author), Rick Warren (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 2007 | Series: Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series (Book 21)

Drawing on extensive, broad-based, and well-designed research, as well as stories and anecdotes, Beyond Megachurch Myths dispels popluar myths about megachurches while highlighting the diversity within the megachurch phenomenon. Defining a megachurch as a Protestant church that averages at least 2000 total attendees in their weekend services, Scott Thumma and Dave Travis reveal what these churches are and are not, why they are thriving, what their members say about their experiences, and why they have many valuable lessons to teach smaller churches.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This data-driven description of American megachurches is aimed at leaders and members of smaller congregations who may harbor apprehensions about this growing phenomenon. Chapter by chapter, the authors tackle common misconceptions of churches with more than 2,000 attendees and suggest that they are simply Christian neighbors with a different-looking storefront who are here to stay a while and who have much to offer smaller churches willing to learn. However, the collaboration of the two writers (one an academic and the other a consultant for church leadership) is disjointed, with the applying what you have read sections at the end of each chapter feeling tacked on to the richer content of the main text. One of the strongest chapters confronts the myth that megachurches are akin to Wal-Mart in that they grow at the expense of existing congregations. The authors argue that megachurches feed a constant cycle of birth, growth, maturity and decline needed to help keep churches and religion in America strong and vital. Readers are reminded that Christianity comes in many different packages and that the market for religion can and should be tapped in a variety of ways. (Aug.)
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Review

"Crow is not my favorite dish to eat, but as this book points out, I've had to eat one of the myths so artfully debunked by Travis and Thumma. This book is the most definitive work done to date on the megachurch."
—Bill Easum, senior consultant, Easum, Bandy & Associates

"In this groundbreaking book, Scott Thumma and Dave Travis share their keen insight and unique understanding of the megachurch phenomena in one accessible volume. This book is a significant addition to the literature and knowledge of megachurch studies."
—Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., senior director and missiologist, Center for Missional Research, North American Mission Board

"Megachurches are here to stay and will attract continuing interest. Thumma and Travis have done us all a great service by setting the record straight."
—Robert Wuthnow, Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor of Social Sciences and director, Center for the Study of Religion, Princeton University

"This is the most thorough, insightful, and helpful book ever written on megachurches."
—Mark Driscoll, pastor, Mars Hill Church, Seattle, Washington

"One of the major transformations in American Christianity is the emergence of hundreds of megachurches in the latter part of the twentieth century. This is the first book to be published that is based on close empirical research and yet is written in a manner that is easily understood by individuals attempting to assess this trend."
—Donald E. Miller, professor of religion and executive director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture, University of Southern California

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1st edition (August 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787994677
• ISBN-13: 978-0787994679
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Megachurches have their good side!, October 1, 2007

By 

Robert Cornwall (Troy, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) (Hardcover)

Beyond Megachurch Myths offers a counterpoint to megachurch critics, using survey data to overturn nine myths about megachurches, including the charge that the megachurch era is quickly fading into history. Scott Thumma and Dave Travis believe that the data demonstrates that not only will megachurches be with us for the foreseeable future, but that they are a much more complex phenomenon than most of us give them credit for being.

To understand this phenomenon, we must first have a definition. According to Thumma and Travis, a megachurch is "a Protestant church that averages at least two thousand total attendees in their weekend services" (p. xviii). More than 1250 congregations fit this description.

The nine myths are as follows: They're all alike, they're just too big, they're based on personality cults, they're concerned only about themselves and their attendees, they water down the faith, are bad for other churches, are homogeneous in race, class, and political affiliation, grow because they entertain, and finally, that they're in the process of dying because young people don't like them. As with any stereotype there is truth to the critiques, but the very fact that the movement is extraordinarily diverse means that the stereotypes easily fall apart. Megachurches may not be for everyone, but many people find them just right - and for many different reasons. And, whether we're fans of them or not, they have left a significant footprint on American religious life.

Megachurches have been with us for some time, but their numbers are increasing rapidly - almost exponentially. In demonstrating that megachurches aren't all alike, they authors distinguish four basic types- the "old-line/program-based" church, the "seeker church," the Charismatic/pastor-focused church, and finally the New Wave/Re-Envisioned Church. The first type tends to be the oldest, the New Wave the newest, and the Seeker church may be the focus of many of our stereotypes. Some megachurches are quite homogeneous, many are conservative, but there are many that are quite diverse and even quite liberal. While some are personality centered, many others aren't.

Although some of the older churches - which tend to be more liturgical in nature - buck the trend of modern culture, most of these churches are very in tune with modern culture - choosing an informal, pop music oriented format for worship, while being increasingly tech savvy. Most of all, these congregations have discovered how to adapt and evolve - something churches of all sizes need to consider.

Although the shadow side of this movement doesn't get the attention the positives do, the authors are quite aware that pastoral care and assimilation happens in very different ways. These churches have to be much more intentional about their work and it's quite likely that the person in the pew will have little contact with the senior leadership.

The future poses significant questions to these churches - most pressing of which might be logistical. Things like land use restrictions and rising gas prices, both of which are acknowledged in the book, though not considered overwhelming obstacles at this point.

One issue that some readers might be interested in is largely avoided, and that's theology. The authors generally steer clear of the topic, except to say that largeness doesn't necessarily lead to the watering down of the Christian message. What would be interesting to pursue would be the question of the role theology does play in growing churches, that question would simply be, does a conservative theology better enable this kind of growth - not because it's correct but because it offers more security to people.

Whether you're involved in leadership of large or small churches, there is something to be learned from reading this book. The very fact that each chapter ends with lessons to be learned suggests that the authors intended this not to be just an apologia for megachurches. They intend for this book to enhance the ministries of churches of all sizes. You don't have to aspire to mega status to learn a few lessons!

Rev. Dr. Robert Cornwall

Editor, Sharing the Practice (Academy of Parish Clergy)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Inspiration to Church's of Any Size, January 18, 2008

By 

Nelson Searcy "Pastor & www.ChurchLeaderInsig... (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) (Hardcover)

This book is long on analysis and full of helpful lessons that any church can apply regardless of size. You could spend several months and thousands of dollars visiting the fastest growing churches in America and trying to gather what they've learned OR you can spend a few bucks and get it all in this book. Reading this book will challenge your assumptions and leave you inspired about the tremendous potential of the local church, including yours.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Research not opinions, January 8, 2008

By 

praxishabitus "reader, researcher, reflector" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) (Hardcover)

There are a lot of opinions about megachurches, but this is the first complete assessment of the megachurch phenomenon. It draws together extensive information and other available research to correct assumptions. It also includes practical questions and considerations for all pastors and church leaders. As a broad overview, it doesn't get better than this.

This book goes well with several others. I suggest Seeker Churches: Promoting Traditional Religion in a Nontraditional Way by Kimon Sargean, A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church as well as Hollywood Faith: Holiness, Prosperity, and Ambition in a Los Angeles Church by Gerardo Marti, The Megachurch and the Mainline: Remaking Religious Tradition in the Twenty-first Century by Stephen Ellingson, When Church Became Theatre: The Transformation of Evangelical Architecture and Worship in Nineteenth-Century America by Jeanne Kilde, and Donald Miller's Reinventing American Protestantism: Christianity in the New Millennium.