THIS IS AMERICA - Megachurches in America: Where Bigger Is B

THIS IS AMERICA - Megachurches in America: Where Bigger Is Better
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, August 29, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Big, and growing bigger. That describes our subject this week: megachurches in America.

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VOICE ONE:

 
Lon Solomon
In nineteen sixty-one, five families near Washington, D.C., formed a Protestant church in McLean, Virginia. Over time, the church grew, especially after nineteen eighty. That was when a clergyman named Lon Solomon became the new minister.

As he brought in more and more families, the church needed more and more space. Today, as many as twelve thousand people attend services each week. The McLean Bible Church is not just big. It is a megachurch.

VOICE TWO:

Scott Thumma works in the Institute for Religion Research at the Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. He has started a new project on megachurches with Dave Travis and Warren Bird of the Leadership Network. The researchers define a megachurch as a church where more than two thousand people attend services each week.

The men already have found at least one thousand two hundred megachurches in the United States, higher than earlier estimates. They say up to twelve million people could be members of these churches.

The research has identified huge Protestant churches in forty-five of the fifty states. Most are in Texas, California and Georgia. The Texas cities of Dallas and Houston together have fifty-six megachurches.

VOICE ONE:

Western Christianity is divided mainly between Protestants and Roman Catholics. Megachurches in America are usually Protestant. Many of these are connected with the Southern Baptists. But many others are independent or nondenominational.

Scott Thumma says the United States has about three hundred twenty thousand Protestant churches. Most are far smaller than the less than one-half of one percent identified as megachurches.

Research a few years ago found that less than ten percent of American churches averaged one thousand people at their services. Only fifty or one hundred adults are active in some churches.

VOICE TWO:

Even the smallest church can serve its people well. Yet some lack enough members to provide money for programs.

Many small churches are mainline churches. "Mainline" suggests moderate. But many people are no longer satisfied with the established ways. In the last forty years, most mainline churches have failed to grow or have lost members.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America said its membership last year was less than five million. The church said this was the first time in more than twenty years that membership was that low.

VOICE ONE:

The government does not count people by religion, so there are no official numbers. But estimates show that just over one-half of Americans are Protestant. About one-fourth are Roman Catholic.

Catholics, however, are the largest single religious group in America. That is because Protestants are divided into many denominations³.

A two thousand two estimate found that two percent of Americans were Mormon, one percent Jewish and one percent Muslim. Ten percent were members of other religions, and another ten percent belonged to no religion.

VOICE TWO:

 
Megachurch congregation
Researchers have found that the largest percentage of megachurches identify their congregations as evangelical. Evangelicals say they are guided by the life and teachings of Jesus and his followers⁴, especially as contained in the Gospels. The Gospels are four books of the New Testament⁵ in the Christian¹ Bible.

Greg Laurie is an evangelical minister based in California. He travels around and holds huge prayer gatherings⁷ called Harvest Crusades. These events try to get more people to become Christians⁸.

VOICE ONE:

Politically, some evangelicals identify themselves as liberal or progressive.

But many other evangelicals share the beliefs of what people call the Christian right -- right of the political center. This movement is strongly conservative on social values and other issues.

Religious conservatives helped elect President Bush in two thousand and again last year. They support his positions against same-sex marriage and the freedom to end unwanted pregnancies⁹. His position against stem-cell research when it destroys embryos¹⁰ is also popular among evangelicals.

And so is the president's nomination² of Judge John Roberts to the Supreme¹¹ Court. Rod Parsley leads a megachurch in Ohio. Reverend Parsley also leads an organization called the Center for Moral Clarity. Its Web site says Judge Roberts will judge laws, not make them. It urges people to sign an electronic petition to support him in his Senate confirmation¹² hearings next month.

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VOICE TWO:

In two thousand one, researchers announced findings of a study called the Faith Communities Today Project, or FACT. The study took place in nineteen ninety-nine. It showed that attendance at megachurches had increased by an average of ninety percent over twenty years.

The researchers received information from one hundred fifty-three of six hundred places identified as megachurches.

The study found that most megachurches are in communities around large cities. People of different races join megachurches. The majority are neither rich nor poor. Many did not belong to any other church before they joined.

Services in megachurches generally use less of the religious language traditionally found in mainline churches. Lon Solomon at the McLean Bible Church in Virginia buys time on local radio. He calls his one-minute messages "Not a Sermon, Just a Thought."

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VOICE ONE:

Now, we look inside one of America's largest churches. Lakewood Church in Texas holds services where the Houston Rockets used to play basketball. The church spent ninety-five million dollars to redesign a sports center. It can hold sixteen thousand people. Around the building are Internet computer stations and places to play religious video games.

 
Televangelist Joel Osteen, right, and his wife, Victoria, left, celebrate the grand opening of the new home for the Lakewood Church, formerly¹³ the Compaq Center, Saturday, July 16, 2005, in Houston
The Lakewood Church started in an empty feed store in nineteen fifty-nine. When the man who started it died, he left the leadership of the church to his son.

Joel Osteen is not schooled in religious studies. In fact, Reverend Osteen left college after one year. People sometimes say he avoids major questions like why good people suffer and what is God like. But he clearly appeals to thousands. People call him a rock star.

VOICE TWO:

Members of some megachurches do not even have to all sit in the same building. Satellite television and the Internet let them watch and pray from other gathering⁶ places, from their home or from wherever they are.

Like in any big organization, individuals in a megachurch could feel lost in a crowd. So the churches do what they can. The Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, is a good example. It has two thousand six hundred small groups for people who share common interests. These groups offer a chance to make new friends. There are also chances to help the needy¹⁴ in the community.

VOICE ONE:

Rick Warren leads the Saddleback Church. He also writes books. He has sold millions of copies of "The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?"

This book became even better known earlier this year after a series of events in Atlanta, Georgia. This is what officials say happened: A prisoner armed with a gun fled a courthouse. He killed a judge and three other people. Later, he seized a young woman named Ashley Smith and held her hostage in her home.

She had read "The Purpose-Driven Life." She shared thoughts from the book with the man. He let her leave, unharmed. Ashley Smith called the police and the suspect surrendered.

VOICE TWO:

We talked to a clergyman in Maryland who is concerned about the lack of growth in his mainline church. This is what he told us: "Our people do not want the church to be extremely large. But megachurches offer people a warm welcome and a feeling of belonging. Mainline churches could borrow some of their methods."

Other countries also have megachurches. And they are not a new idea in America. Some existed here more than sixty years ago. Megachurches are not for everyone. Some say they are too big, too political and too untraditional. But, for others, the appeal today is clearly growing.

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VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver¹⁵. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember.  Please join us next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

3 denominations   

n.宗派( denomination的名词复数 )；教派；面额；名称

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• The service was attended by Christians of all denominations. 这次礼拜仪式各教派的基督徒都参加了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

5 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

6 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

7 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

8 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

9 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。

10 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句

11 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

12 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

13 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

14 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

15 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。