Willow Creek Community Church - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz Catholic News New Zealand Sun, 18 Feb 2024 23:13:55 +0000 en-NZ hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cathnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-cathnewsfavicon-32x32.jpg Willow Creek Community Church - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz 32 32 70145804 The US megachurch movement is on the decline https://cathnews.co.nz/2024/02/19/the-us-megachurch-movement-is-on-the-decline/ Mon, 19 Feb 2024 04:55:57 +0000 https://cathnews.co.nz/?p=167852 In recent years, Megachurch troubles have made headlines in American newspapers. Whether it be financial or sexual scandals, closures, layoffs, or relocations, the shocks continue. Megachurches, predominantly Evangelical Protestant communities that gather an average of 2,000 worshipers each week, are going through a period of turbulence. As a result, these structures are crumbling, and demand Read more

The US megachurch movement is on the decline... Read more]]> In recent years, Megachurch troubles have made headlines in American newspapers. Whether it be financial or sexual scandals, closures, layoffs, or relocations, the shocks continue.

Megachurches, predominantly Evangelical Protestant communities that gather an average of 2,000 worshipers each week, are going through a period of turbulence.

As a result, these structures are crumbling, and demand is declining.

Several recent examples illustrate this phenomenon. Willow Creek Community Church, located near Chicago (Illinois), is one of the largest megachurches in the country. It draws up to 25,000 people each week. But over the past five years, attendance has been steadily declining.

"Willow is about half the size it was before COVID-19, which is quite in line with churches across the country," declared its lead pastor, Dave Dummitt, in 2022.

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