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“Per capita, the Twin Cities has more megachurches than any metropolitan area in the country,” Mayer said, with 173 fitting the definition. Most congregations — 58 percent — number 100 or fewer members, but larger churches, though fewer in number, dominate attendance. “So they have kind of a higher impact.”

Mayer sounds like a real estate developer when he describes why big churches in Woodbury are ripe for even more growth: growing population, affluence, available land (“You can’t build a megachurch on 2 acres”) and accessibility to freeways.

Tyler Gregory, executive director of ministries at Eagle Brook, adds another, more spiritual element to the equation: need. By making a big church feel small, he said, Eagle Brook can best carry out its prime mission of reaching people.

“Growth is inevitable because there’s a lot of people searching for answers, for that deeper meaning in their lives,” he said. “We want to help you grow in your faith.”

 

Jim Anderson • 651-925-5039

Twitter: @StribJAnderson