A STUDY OF PROTESTANT MEGA-CHURCHES IN CENTRAL AMERICA

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1 PROPOSAL A STUDY OF PROTESTANT MEGA-CHURCHES IN CENTRAL AMERICA PHASE I: PHASE II: Sponsored by The Latin American Socio-Religious Studies Program - Programa Latinoamericano de Estudios Sociorreligiosos PROLADES Draft copy, 1 May 2011 OVERVIEW PROLADES will coordinate an in-depth study of Protestant mega-churches (defined as those churches having 2,000 or more people in attendance in Sunday worship services on a given day) in each country of Central America in cooperation with professors and students in Evangelical universities and theological institutions (Bible institutes and seminaries), who will design and conduct a series of case studies on mega-churches in their respective countries using the scientific method and observer-participation. The results of these case studies and other research documents related to this project will be posted on the PROLADES website at no cost as a service to the general public. BACKGROUND The PROLADES team has conducted similar research in many countries of Latin America and among Hispanic Protestant churches in the USA since the late 1970s, under the direction of Clifton L. Holland who has resided in Costa Rica since 1972 and is the founder and director of PROLADES. There is ample information about these previous research, writing and publication efforts on the various websites created by PROLADES since 1999: Religion-In-The-Americas (RITA): Hispanic USA Research Project Online: A Study of Religion-In-Los-Angeles: A Study of Ethnic & Religious Diversity in Major Urban Areas of North America, Latin America and the Caribbean: In April 2011, Holland launched the first phase ( ) of the current study of Protestant mega-churches in Central America by creating a new website with preliminary information about some of the mega-churches identified so far in each country, usually located in the greater

2 metropolitan area of the capital city. Holland s seven-year study ( ) on Ethnic and Religious Diversity in the Greater Los Angeles Metro Area, together with his experience as the chief technical advisor for a similar study on the Greater Mexico City Metro Area ), had prepared him for this new endeavor. During April 2011, Holland traveled to El Salvador and Guatemala (one week in each country) to coordinate the development of national church history commissions and to conduct on-site visits of many of the Protestant mega-churches in San Salvador and Guatemala City with assistance from local Evangelical church leaders. Holland took digital photographs of these mega-churches 200 photos in El Salvador and 150 in Guatemala to record and evaluate some of their characteristics, and to use as an historical reference for future studies of these same churches. Before, during and after his visit to both countries, Holland created a new website for the Study of Protestant Mega-churches in Central America where some of his photos are now available for viewing on the separate web pages for each of the six countries (Belize was not included in the current project) at: Between 1977 and 1981, Holland coordinated a national study of the Protestant movement in each country of Central America and produced the first national directory of Protestant churches, organizations and ministries (seven volumes) in most of these countries, as well as a series of research and evaluation reports to accompany each of the national directories. One of the outcomes of Holland s research efforts was the writing of his Doctor of Missiology dissertation at the School of World Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary, in Pasadena, CA, during , entitled: A History of the Protestant Movement in Central America: At the same time, Holland served as the General Editor for World Christianity: Central America and the Caribbean, published in 1982 by MARC-World Vision International in Monrovia, CA. Since the early 1970s, Holland has traveled to more than 25 countries to conduct or coordinate research efforts with a variety of Christian organizations, such as the Latin America Mission in Caracas, Venezuela, and Medellín, Colombia (1970s); World Vision International in Haiti (1980s); CEPAD in Nicaragua (1970s); CEDEN and World Vision International in Honduras (1970s-1980s); SEPAL in Guatemala (1970s-1980s); AEPAD in Panama (1970s); VELA in Mexico City ( ); and a consortium of service agencies, educational institutions and denominational offices in Southern California for the Study of Ethnic and Religious Diversity in the Greater Los Angeles Metro Area ( ). Also, funding was provided to PROLADES during the 1980s by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization for Holland as a Lausanne Associate for Unreached Peoples Research ( unreached ethnolinguistic groups ) in Latin America and the Caribbean, and to attend the Lausanne Congress in Manila, Philippines, in 1989 to assist Dr. Samuel Wilson of MARC-WVI with a series of Research Seminars dealing with the establishment of permanent national research functions (PNRF) in countries

3 worldwide. Holland also attended international research conferences in The Netherlands and Great Britain sponsored by the Lausanne Committee and the A.D Movement (1990s). METHODOLOGY The current research project in the Central American region is the continuation of Holland s earlier research efforts, but in a different historical context and with a new methodology. In each country of the region, PROLADES will seek to establish a working relationship with a group of educational institutions (universities, theological seminaries, Bible institutes, etc.) that will agree to undertake the sponsorship of a series of case studies on Protestant mega-churches in their respective countries during the first phase of the project, , with their own professors and students using the scientific method and utilizing survey research, ethnographic participant-observation and interviews, and focus groups to evaluate the organizational, leadership, theological, ideological, spiritual, constituent (membership and attendance), ethnical, social and civic variables and dynamics of each mega-church during the period Some of the basic research questions to be explored in the case study approach are the following: What combination of factors in the national and urban contexts of each country has produced the accelerated membership and attendance growth in the various megachurches during the period 1990 to 2010 and beyond? Where are the new participants coming from in terms of their spiritual journey: from other Evangelical churches (interchurch migration) or due to spiritual conversion from Roman Catholic churches, from other religious groups (marginal Christian and non- Christian religions), or from the secularized non-religious population? What were the variables involved in their individual religious experiences that motivated them to leave their former religious group (expulsion factors) and to join the new megachurch (attraction factors)? How many of those who are currently active attendees or members of a mega-church were previously active in other Evangelical denominations or independent churches compared to those who had a religious conversion experience after they started attending a mega-church or one of its ministry activities (such as a home bible study or prayer group, discipleship group, etc.? How long have the current attendees and members been involved in the mega-church? What is their level of personal and familial satisfaction in their current mega-church? How has their participation in a mega-church influenced their personal spiritual growth as a follower of Jesus Christ? Has there been an ideological or worldview shift in the lives of those who are currently attending a mega-church because to that church s influence upon them? How has their participation in a mega-church influenced their family life and their social and/or political involvement in their local community or civil society in general? Based on the fieldwork evidence, can we expect that the mega-church phenomena will continue to grow and expand during the next decade in Central America, or will the current trend decrease due to extenuating circumstances? And what are those extenuating circumstances based on the SWOT (FODA in Spanish) analysis model?

4 The completed case studies will be evaluated and compared within each country in order to arrive at generalized conclusions regarding the positive (strengths) and negative (weaknesses) growth dynamics and the various opportunities and challenges (using SWOT-FODA) faced by each mega-churches in each country (national context) and throughout the region (regional context). Other related research and evaluation documents will be produced and will be made available on our website for the regional mega-church study on each country s web pages at: PROGRESS TO DATE During April 2011, Holland began the process of contacting potential partnership agencies in Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala and discussing this mega-church study project, along with the formation of national church history commissions in each country and the teaching of seminars by Holland (and others) on the Historiography of the Evangelical Church in Central America. These initial contacts were fruitful in establishing a working relationship with individual researchers and church historians, as well as with their respective academic institutions. The Central American Church History Program website is located at: Costa Rica: Holland is coordinating the development of these projects in cooperation with the Costa Rican Evangelical Alliance (FAEC in Spanish) and various academic institutions: the Evangelical University of the Americas (UNELA), SETECA, the Latin American Biblical University (UBLA), the Nazarene Seminary, the Baptist Seminary and several of the major Bible Institutes. PROLADES is headquartered in San Pedro, Montes de Oca, Costa Rica, and has developed long-term relationships with the major denominations, academic institutions and service agencies with which Holland has cooperated since The preliminary website for the Costa Rican Mega-churches is: In El Salvador, Lic. Luis R. Huezo is the program coordinator. Huezo is a professional researcher in the area of Religious Studies with the Salvadoran Government s Ministry of Culture and is completing his Ph.D. program at the Jesuit-run José Simeon Cañas Central American University in San Salvador. Huezo also teaches at the nondenominational Evangelical University of El Salvador under the Vice-Rector of Research and Social Projection (Vice-Rectoría de Investigación y Proyección Social). An estimated 300 people attended an important conference at the National Museum of Anthropology on 11 April 2011, coordinated by Huezo and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, on the theme, The Construction of the Nation: the contribution of Protestants-Evangelicals in the formation of the Salvadoran national state during the XIX and XX centuries. Contacts were also established with the Salvadoran Bible Society, World Vision of El Salvador, the Assemblies of God Historical Museum in Santa Ana, the Centennial History Commission of the Baptist Association of El Salvador (five members), the Evangelical Alliance of El Salvador, and with many denominational leaders. The preliminary website for the Salvadoran Mega-churches is: Guatemala: During Holland s April 2011 visit to Guatemala City, he held a series of meetings with church historians and other interested people that led to the formation of an ad hoc national church history commission under the leadership of Dr. Virgilio Zapata of the Instituto América

5 Latina (the largest Evangelical primary and secondary school in the country, which is now completing the long process of becoming a government-approved private university). Serving with Zapata on the national church history commission are M.Th. Margarita Sandoval of the Panamerican University and Dr. David Suazo of the Central American Theological Seminary (SETECA). Other Evangelical church historians will also be invited to participate on this commission in the coming months. Holland met with five professors at SETECA who expressed their interest in participating in the historiography and mega-church studies in Guatemala. Tentative plans were made for SETECA to sponsor the first seminar on historiography and to invite professors at other academic institutions to participate so that they can all be trained in historiography and implement this disciple in their respective academic programs, along with the implementation of case studies by professors and students on the country s Protestant megachurches. The preliminary website for the Guatemalan Mega-churches is: In the near future we hope to establish contacts with individual researchers and academic institutions in Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama and invite them to join us in this regional effort to study Protestant Mega-churches during and beyond. Since 2000, Holland has cooperated with the Martin Luther King Jr. Evangelical University (UENIC-MLK) and CIEETS (Centro Intereclesial de Estudios Teológicos y Sociales) in Managua, Nicaragua, in a variety of projects, including the teaching of seminars on historiography at those institutions and networking with individual researchers and church historians. We are confident that these institutions in Nicaragua will soon join us in this regional endeavor. FUNDING This program is largely self-financed by the various cooperating academic institutions in each country. Most of the coordination internationally will be provided by Holland and his associates via , Skype and other Internet resources. However, the cost of international travel, lodging, meals and other local expenses for Holland and his associates is the responsibility of PRO- LADES, which is also covering the costs of the website development and maintenance. All salaries and office expenses will be covered by the cooperating academic institutions and service agencies in each country. Our request for outside funding is to cover the expenses of international travel, lodging, meals and other local expenses in situ for PROLADES (Holland and his associates) as they visit and provide technical support to the respective individual researchers and academic institutions in each country for the period and beyond. It is estimated that about US$5,000 will be needed yearly between 2011 and 2015 so that PROLADES can provided needed technical assistance in situ to cooperating individuals and academic institutions in each country. The total estimated amount needed to finance this endeavor is about US$25,000. Based on our evaluation of the success of the first phase of this study, we hope to continue this effort for the period throughout the region, at a similar cost of US$5,000 per year for a total of US$25,000.

6 We respectfully request the financial assistance of your organization to help us accomplish the goals and objectives that we have described in this project proposal. Sincerely Yours, Clifton L. Holland Dr. Clifton L. Holland Director of PROLADES CONTACT INFORMATION: PROLADES Apartado San Pedro, Costa Rica (506) and Skype name: clifton.l.holland