megachurch

noun

mega·​church ˈme-gə-ˌchərch How to pronounce megachurch (audio)
plural megachurches
: a church having an extremely large congregation
The megachurch, one of the largest in the region with roughly 5,000 attendees at its Sunday morning Post Falls worship service, is also adding a 25,000-square-foot children's ministry building, which will include a large indoor play structure …Nicholas Deshais
In little more than a decade, his ministry has grown from a living-room Bible study to a megachurch that draws about 7,600 visitors to seven campuses around Seattle each Sunday …Molly Worthen

Examples of megachurch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 1921, McPherson broke ground on her megachurch, while the fed-up and upstaged Harold filed for divorce. Casey Cep, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025 Jakes is senior pastor of Dallas megachurch The Potter's House, which has 30,000 members, according to its website. Adrian Ashford The Dallas Morning News (tns), arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2025 The Righteous Gemstones, which also stars Adam DeVine and John Goodman, follows a family of televangelists who find wealth in running a renowned megachurch and try to protect their religious empire. Arabella Hau, People.com, 10 Mar. 2025 The former pastor of a Virginia megachurch has been convicted of burglary and stalking after video captured him sneaking into the home of a previous member of his congregation. Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for megachurch

Word History

Etymology

mega- + church entry 1

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of megachurch was in 1966

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Cite this Entry

“Megachurch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/megachurch. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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