Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered

Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered
Author: Wanjiru M. Gitau
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 211
Release: 2018-10-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830873740

In this case study of Kenya's Nairobi Chapel and its "daughter" Mavuno Church, Wanjiru M. Gitau offers analysis of the rise, growth, and place of megachurches worldwide in the new millennium. This engaging account centers on the role of millennials in responding to the dislocating transitions of globalization in postcolonial Africa and around the world, gleaning practical wisdom for postdenominational churches everywhere.

Handbook of Megachurches

Handbook of Megachurches
Author: Stephen J. Hunt
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 362
Release: 2019-11-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004412921

The megachurch is an exceptional recent religious trend, certainly within Christian spheres. Spreading from the USA, megachurches now reached reach different global contexts. The edited volume Handbook of Megachurches offers a comprehensive account of the subject from various academic perspectives.

High on God

High on God
Author: James Wellman Jr.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages:
Release: 2020-01-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0199827729

"God is like a drug, a high, [I] can't wait for the next hit." This direct quote from a megachurch member speaking about his experience of God might be dismissed as some sort of spiritually-induced drug riff. However, according to the research in this book, it was not only sincere, but a deeply felt, and sought-after sensibility. Megachurch attendees desire this first-hand experience of God, and many report finding it in their congregations. The book focuses on the emotional, social and religious dynamics that pull thousands of people into megachurches and how those churches make some feel like they are "high on God" and can't wait to get their next spiritual "hit." High on God gives the first robust and plausible explanation for why megachurches have conquered the churchgoing market of America. Without condescension or exaggeration, the authors show the genius of megachurches: the power of charisma, the design of facilities, the training of leaders, the emotional dynamics, and the strategies that bring people together and lead them to serve and help others. Using Emile Durkheim's concept of homo duplex, the authors plot the strategies that megachurches employ to satisfy the core human craving for personal meaning and social integration, as well as personal identity and communal solidarity. The authors also show how these churches can go wrong, sometimes tragically so. But they argue that, for the most part, megachurches help their attendees find themselves through bonding with and serving others.

The Routledge Handbook of Megachurches

The Routledge Handbook of Megachurches
Author: Afe Adogame
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 663
Release: 2024-05-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1003861105

The Routledge Handbook of Megachurches provides a survey of global megachurch phenomena, with an international slate of authors introducing existing and emerging research on a wide variety of relevant topics. Over the past decade, the field of megachurch studies has matured and become global in its scope and orientation. The Handbook offers 33 chapters by top scholars in the field, focusing in particular on: The location, demographic nature, and transnational connections of megachurches. Megachurch worship, hermeneutics, and theology (in theory and practice). Megachurch institutional dynamics. The various ways that megachurches have both influenced and been influenced by their social contexts in terms of class, age, gender, sexuality, and pop culture. The Handbook's interdisciplinary orientation makes it essential reading for sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, media specialists, pop culture observers, business strategists, leadership consultants, marketing analysts, scholars of religion, and Christian historians, theologians, and missiologists. Experienced scholars of megachurches will gain valuable insight into aspects of megachurch research beyond their own specializations. Scholars new to the field will find the chapters useful as signposts for where to begin their own academic exploration. Christian pastors and laypeople will learn more about this increasingly prominent and influential form of their faith.

Megachurches and Social Engagement

Megachurches and Social Engagement
Author: Mark J. Cartledge
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 405
Release: 2019-06-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004402659

This book explores the nature and significance of social engagement by megachurches using Anglican and African diaspora Pentecostal case studies. It describes the range of social engagement activities, offering explanations in term of theological motivations and the influence of globalisation.

Beyond Megachurch Myths

Beyond Megachurch Myths
Author: Scott Thumma
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2007-08-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0787994677

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.

Seeking Church

Seeking Church
Author: Darren T. Duerksen
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 227
Release: 2019-10-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830872426

New expressions of church, including so-called insider movements, are proliferating among non-Christian religious communities worldwide. Drawing on the growing social-scientific work on emergent theory, Darren Duerksen and William Dyrness explore how all Christian movements have been and are engaged in a "reverse hermeneutic," where the gospel is read and interpreted through existing cultural and religious norms.

The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook of Contemporary Christianity in the United States

The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook of Contemporary Christianity in the United States
Author: Mark A. Lamport
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 581
Release: 2022-02-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1538138816

The Handbook of Contemporary Christianity in the United States is a one-volume examination of Christianity in its role, contributions, and embattled engagements with the contemporary culture of the postmodern United States. While Christianity has been a sustaining force and dominant storyline of the historical foundations of America, obvious social, political, and scientific inroads have lessened its influence and altered the issues considered. The handbook explores the strengths and weaknesses of the Christian faith and traditions in the United States and its rich and textured history with a discernable eye toward how the message, strategies, and initiatives of Christianity has adapted to contemporary American life.

De-sizing the Church

De-sizing the Church
Author: Karl Vaters
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2024-04-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0802499872

Big churches didn’t create the problems facing today’s congregations. But our obsession with size has come at a great cost. We’re obsessed with bigness. Supersized meals and TV screens. Square footage. And big churches. “What’s the size of your church?” That question has stirred insecurities or stroked the ego of too many pastors. For a long time, we thought bigger was better. “Church growth” and “numbers” dominated our thoughts and conversations. But more than ever, people are feeling disconnected. Trust in the church is dwindling. In De-sizing the Church, pastor Karl Vaters takes us on a multi-faceted journey through our centuries-long obsession with size, both in and outside the church, and how it has negatively affected those who serve and worship in big and small congregations alike. He also dispels some prevailing myths and affirms what was good and true about the Church Growth Movement. And he invites us to consider how removing church size from the equation can be an essential element in rebuilding trust, restoring relationships, and renewing our spiritual lives. This book reframes the way we see the size of our churches and helps us see health and fruitfulness through de-sized lenses. The result? Renewed congregations that reach surrounding communities and faithfully engage culture.

Worship, Ritual, and Pentecostal Spirituality-as-Theology

Worship, Ritual, and Pentecostal Spirituality-as-Theology
Author: Martina Björkander
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 506
Release: 2024-02-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004682430

Vibrant worship music is part of the Charismatic liturgy all around the world, and has become in many ways the hallmark of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity. Despite its centrality, scholarly interest in the theological and ritual significance of worship for pentecostal spirituality has been sparse, not least in Africa. Combining rich theoretical and theological insight with an in-depth case study of worship practices in Nairobi, Kenya, this interdisciplinary study offers a significant contribution to knowledge and is bound to influence scholarly discussions for years to come. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in Pentecostal worship, ritual, and spirituality.