March 28, 2024
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Brunswick ‘megachurch’ would dwarf others in N.E.

BIDDEFORD – The New Life Christian Fellowship is proposing the biggest church in the state – and one of the largest in New England – with seating capacity for 4,375 worshippers.

Theologians use the term “megachurch” to describe such large, mostly Protestant congregations, that are active every day of the week, draw thousands to services, and include social and outreach ministries.

The size of the proposed 120,000-square-foot church in Biddeford is unusual in the Northeast, said Scott Thumma, a faculty associate in religion and society at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research in Connecticut. By comparison, the Saints Peter and Paul Church in Lewiston can hold 1,700 people, while the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland has seating for 650.

“None of the less than a dozen New England megachurches have seating for 4,375 and, in fact, fewer than 400 Protestant churches out of 350,000 congregations in the U.S. have seating for more than 4,000 persons,” he said.

New Life is a nondenominational evangelical church that now seats 1,100. It also runs a Christian school.

But the existing church cannot handle the growth of the congregation, and the three services each weekend tax church staff, music staff, and the 100 or so volunteers at each service.

So the church wants to move to a 50-acre location across the street, adjacent to Home Depot.

The proposed church would look more like a windowed, brick office building than the steepled buildings of other churches. The complex would include playing fields for the K-12 school and at least 1,500 parking spaces.

“Our concept is that the church is the people, not the building. The building is simply a gathering place,” said the Rev. Jeffrey Tarbox. “We want something that is attractive, that communicates warmth, that is well done and professional, but at the same time practical.”

The growth at New Life comes at a time when nationally, church membership and attendance is decreasing.

And New England has the lowest percentage of formal church membership in the nation, said Joseph Conforti, a University of Southern Maine history professor who specializes in New England religion.

Conforti predicted that a church the size of the one proposed by New Life would not become a trend in New England.

“I think what you see in New England is smaller churches of charismatic and Pentecostal faith, in rural parts of New England. They’re the ones that seem to be growing,” he said.


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