Megachurch = Mega Meat Market?

A new survey of Megachurches found that they have a far higher percentage of younger and single congregants than smaller churches. Megachurches, despite being symbols of the baby boomers are actually more likely to attract the younger generations than smaller churches. Further, there are proportionally far more singles at megachurches than at smaller more traditional ones.  Over a third of people who attend megachurches are single. They are also usually better educated and wealthier.

Which leads me to a question I never before considered. Are Megachurches Christian meat markets? It seems a valid question. As the pastor of a small church that doesn’t have many singles, especially in the 20-40 range, I know how hard it is for those in that category to find the community and relationships they are looking for. I spent 5 years in NC as one of the only churches in town who had specific ministries geared towards this crowd and I was one of the few pastors for whom young adults was a focused part of my ministry. Because of that we became very successful at reaching single young adults. We also became successful at helping them find each other and I did a lot of weddings there for a while.

I have advised some of the single young adults in my church to go to small groups or other gatherings at some of the larger churches in town so that could meet more friends and look for people to date. It seems as if I am not the only one, and that the young and single crowd definitely prefers that megachurch option to a smaller church. The survey also found that a large number of megachurch attenders also attend another church regularly, so it may be that many are attending the larger church to connect with people but are still rooted in a smaller church at the same time. But if you are Christian, young, single, professional and educated, megachurches simply offer a far better opportunity to find a partner than in a smaller church.

What does this mean for the church? Probably nothing, other than telling us what we already know, which is most churches have a really hard time reaching the 20-40 crowd, especially if they are single, professional and educated. Tell me something I don’t already know. But it is worth considering how we can make smaller churches more friendly to this crowd and help them feel more comfortable in our communities.

Megachurches simply offer an opportunity for those in this category to find community and relationships that historically existed in more traditional churches, but is something megachurches evidently offer in a better way. The question remains as to whether or not the ability to attract this crowd actually results in life change and demonstrable discipleship or a high percentage of  people who want to go to church and simply meet some friends. That is not a negative comment, just a question about some interesting information.