ABSTRACT
In a 2010 review of scholarly literature on megachurches, Stephen Ellingson outlined three prevailing theories regarding the growth of megachurches, focusing respectively on their (1) creation of congregational cultures in tension with secular society, (2) attentiveness to the needs and desires of religious consumers, and (3) organizational dynamics oriented around and conducive to growth. As a shorthand, we may refer to these as the church-sect, seeker-sensitive, and organizational theories of megachurch growth. This chapter will consider each of these theories in turn, with reference to supporting studies from around the world.
