ABSTRACT
One of the starkest markers of Europe's Christianity landscape in the twenty-first century is the almost uninterrupted emptying of the cathedrals of legacy churches and the concurrent proliferation of megachurches housed in magnificent edifices mostly in the cities. Although the two developments have no direct causal links, they have both been heavily influenced by social and demographic trends in a rapidly changing Europe. While the incubation and birth of many megachurches have mostly taken place in immigrant communities, their presence and impact are beginning to filter into mainstream society. This chapter provides a critical overview of the history, dynamics, and sociocultural impact of these churches in Europe. Although these churches exhibit traits that confirm their consonance with similar churches in other regions, they are also different because they have developed in and are embedded in Europe's relatively sterile faith environment. Their future, I argue, will depend mainly on their capability to continuously replenish and grow their predominantly ethnic minority membership.
