By Warren Bird, Ph.D.
Did you know that the
more your church involves its people in small groups, the more its financial
giving will increase?
This finding comes from
research ECFA helped conduct on megachurches—the largest study ever conducted
on large churches across the U.S. (See below for details on how to download our
entire research report.)
The use of small groups
has long been a hallmark of megachurches—the idea of distinct units within the greater church where people
know each other personally and participate in various kinds of spiritual
ministries. Their purpose can include fellowship, spiritual nurture, ministry,
and/or religious education. They might be called names like: Sunday school
classes, Bible studies, missional teams, home groups, community groups,
discipleship groups, or any number of other terms.
ECFA’s landmark survey
found that small-group practice continues to increase dramatically, but also
that the impact on spiritual health through the use of small groups is
profound. When asked if small groups are central to their strategy of Christian
nurture and spiritual formation, an astounding 90% of megachurches said “Yes”
(see the first graphic.)
This percentage has
steadily grown over the years. For example, back in 2000, only 50% of
megachurches said yes to the same question.
When asked what
percentage of the church’s adult participants are typically involved in a small
group, the response in 2020 was a median of 45%. In 2015, the median was 40%.
This increased priority given to small groups, is evident in the growing
percentage of adults who are involved in small groups within their
congregations. Small group participation is directly related to a number of
positive trends for the congregation. As the second graphic illustrates, the
more adults in small groups, the greater the church’s growth rate.
The churches with the
highest percentage of their congregation active in their small groups were also
more likely to say they had larger percentages of their members volunteering
regularly at church, recruiting new people, sharing their faith with those not
a part of the congregation, being new to the congregation in the last 5
years—and, as introduced above, giving financially to the church. These are
noteworthy findings!
Just how much more do
small group members give to their church? On average 9%. That percentage would
be a meaningful boost to any church's budget.
Read the Entire
“The Changing Reality
in America’s Largest Churches” Report
ECFA’s “The Changing Reality in America’s Largest Churches” report runs 22 pages and is the largest national study EVER of trends in
U.S. megachurches. If you want other ministry friends to download it (hint,
hint), it’s free at http://www.ECFA.church/surveys.
