U.S. Megachurch Survey Data on Growth and Innovation, 2000-2008

American megachurch data from three national surveys conducted in 2000, 2005, and 2008. The report was authored by Scott Thumma through a partnership between the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Hartford Seminary, and Leadership Network. It focuses on developing patterns of growth and innovation in the nation's largest-attendance congregations.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in megachurch attendance and growth based on the three survey waves.
• Study patterns of organizational innovation within large congregations as described in the report.
• Model the relationship between church size and administrative practices suggested by the survey focus.

Strengths

• Data is derived from three national surveys conducted over an eight-year period.
• Report was produced through a partnership of established research institutes.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Hartford Seminary, and Leadership Network

Collection Method

National surveys

Time Range

2000, 2005, 2008

Geography

United States