Fact 1:
People are increasingly concentrated in very large congregations. The average congregation in America is small – and getting smaller, down from a median of 80 regular participants in 1998 to 70 in 2012 – but the average churchgoer attends a larger congregation, and one in 10 churchgoers worships in a multi-site congregation.
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I’m curious about how this conversation might take shape. Are larger gatherings or multi site churches something to aspire to? Is this the natural flow of the evolution of the church? Is this healthy or unhealthy? What are the implications for the church being present to and engaged with the missio dei in their neighbourhood? How are members of larger churches engaged in missional initiatives? What does discipleship look like? What is gained/lost in the shift from multiple smaller churches to larger churches? Are multi sites mini denominations? What is the difference between a large church with multiple sites and a denomination with multiple churches? Are we seeing a significant shift in ecclesiological identity and is this a good thing?