Madison residents have the option to attend large churches as well as small churches, but our megachurch options are not as robust as most other U.S. cities, according to the Barna research organization.
Last week we reported that Madison ranked 75th in Barna’s index of Bible-Aware cities. But additional information indicates Madison has not embraced the trend of megachurch growth.
Barna reports that only ten percent of self-identified Christians attend churches of 1,000 or more. The highest concentration of these megachurch attenders are in Las Vegas, which is sometimes called “sin city” for its legalized gambling and related vices. Baton Rouge and Tampa are second and third, followed by Dallas, Houston, and Albuquerque in a 3-way tie.
At the bottom of the scale are Salt Lake City, Toledo, and Madison. Only one percent of local Christians attend churches of 1,000 or more.
What is the impact of church size on religious belief? Barna reports: “On 17 indicators of religious belief and behavior examined in the research there were statistically significant differences between churches of 100 or fewer adult attenders and churches of 1000 or more adult attenders. The only item tested in which there was not a distinction was whether the church attender had prayed during the past week. On all 9 of the belief statements tested, attenders of large churches were more likely than those engaged in a small or mid-sized congregation to give an orthodox biblical response.”
The Christian Post took a look at what the survey may mean in Las Vegas. What does it mean for the future of Madison’s Christian community? Let us know in your responses.