Mega Churches & Charisma

Studying Christianity?  Mega churches are increasingly important in modern Christianity.

According to James Wellman, a professor and author of Rob Bell and the New American Christianity, there are twelve national mega churches  and they are “one way Americans are doing their religion.”  He notes that 50% of Americans who go to church, go to the top ten largest churches in the nation.

Wellman discusses his research on mega churches and charisma in the lecture above, which he delivered at Georgetown University last year.  The lecture begins at about 3.21, after introductions.  You can get a good idea of Wellman’s thesis from the fist five or ten minutes.

You can read more about the charismatic movement:

• Christianity Today has a good story about the charismatic movement.
• ABC News story writes about the increasing numbers of Americans  flocking to mega churches.
• The Hartford Institute for Religion Research has an excellent sortable data base of mega churches. You can sort by state, size, denomination, or congregation.
• The Leadership Network discusses the first mega church,the Crystal Cathedral,  founded by Robert H. Schuller. It declared bankruptcy in 2010