By Lauren Heist
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Tuesday, September 27, 2005

If salvation were a product, megachurches would be the hottest stock on the market. 

Some say megachurches — so called because they attract at least 2,000 people on an average Sunday — are seeing phenomenal growth because of divine intervention. Others say it’s simply because megachurches are using tactics from the business world to save souls rather than drive profits.  

“They’re incredibly cost effective,??? said Jim Twitchell, author of “Branded Nation: The Marketing of Megachurch, College Inc. and Museumworld.???

“They’ve taken the principles of Wal-Mart and applied it to the principles of salvation,??? he said.

According to a 2000 study by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research,  attendance at megachurches has increased 90 percent since 1980, and today, megachurches bring in an average of $4.8 million a year.

Scott Sanders/Daily Herald Nancy Singer, right, a former bank president, works at College Church in Wheaton. She said her church runs like a business, except employees pray at the beginning of staff meetings.

Twitchell said these churches are successful because, like Wal-Mart and other chains, they understand the importance of economy of scale.

Take Harvest Bible Church, which preaches to about 8,000 people every Sunday.

A pastor usually gives a live sermon at the main center in Rolling Meadows, while thousands more watch on a large video screen at satellite locations in Elgin and Niles.

The median church in the United States only has 75 people per service, according to the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, but by embracing technology,  one pastor at a megachurch can speak to many more people at once, and the entire operation can be more efficient.

“We’re trying to be as innovative as the Lord gifts us to be,??? said Daryl Rice, business pastor at Harvest Bible.

Megachurches are also cost effective because they have lean staffs and rely heavily on volunteers.

Christ Community Church in St. Charles has an annual budget of about $5 million  and employs less than 80 full- and part-time staff members. Still, the church is able to offer sports teams, children’s activities and about 700 groups a week for women, men, young adults and more largely because of the help of droves of volunteers.

The larger the church, the more volunteers it has to offer more niche services, which in turn attract more members.

Of course, being cost-effective isn’t the only thing that has made megachurches successful, or the only similarity they have to corporate businesses.

Megachurches also know how to attract “customers.???

Like many successful businesses, megachurch leaders try to appeal to an untapped audience by offering something new: in this case, a modern brand of worship.

Bill Hybels, founder of Willow Creek in South Barrington, is considered one of the pioneers of the consumer-driven approach to church.

The 17,500 people who flock to Willow Creek’s weekly services in  South Barrington, Wheaton and Northfield sit on comfy, stadium-like seating instead of hard wooden benches and  sing along to upbeat, contemporary music with lyrics projected on a screen overhead.

And it’s not just the audiovisuals bringing in the crowds.

College Church in Wheaton, which typically draws about 2,150 on a Sunday, has marketed to an outside audience by holding rock concerts.

Nancy Singer, the church’s director of administration, said there’s nothing wrong with trying new ways to attract more members.

“If you can’t get them into your building in one way or another, they’re not going to hear your message,??? she said.

Singer, who spent 20 years as president of First of America Bank, which used to have branches in Cook and Lake counties before it was bought by National City Bank, defended the business-like tactics megachurches are using. 

“We’re not looking to increase our profits,??? she said. “We’re looking to use the money the people entrust us with to serve God and expand his message.???

Expansion is a big part of megachurches’ mission.

“What these churches sell is what any successful retailer wants, namely the sense that what they’re selling is hot,??? said Twitchell. “These churches sell growth.???

Investing in new church buildings is common.

Harvest Bible, which has an annual budget of $9 million, is currently planning to raise $21 million for a new worship center in Elgin.

Some megachurches are mimicking franchisers by aggressively setting up spinoffs.

College Church in Wheaton “planted??? a daughter church in Batavia; Harvest Bible has “planted??? eight churches in Illinois and more in Canada.

The similarities to business don’t end there.

Larry Breeden, a pastor at Christ Community Church, said, ultimately, megachurches have come to understand that they must offer  good customer service and provide churchgoers with what they want.

“The things we have learned from the business world are to look around and say, ‘If I am new and coming to the church, how can I make it as easy as possible?’??? he said. “We try to be as easy and as friendly as possible.??? 

Twitchell said the rise of the megachurch is due to the fact that Americans have freedom of religion.

“America is a free market in religion, and boy, you see what happens. Everybody has to compete,??? he said.  “We’ve had this food fight in religion … and the megachurch is the most recent of the food fights.???

 Filed Under: TRUTH
 SEEK FIRST's blog | login or register to post comments »