Dean Scott Thumma, an expert on megachurches, was quote in an article about a suburban church in Indiana that made the unusual move of opening a satellite location in an urban center, in this case downtown Indianapolis.

Dean Thumma supplied the historical background of megachurches landing in the suburbs. According to the article, “The suburbs were brand new and lacked that sense of community. Large evangelical churches filled this void, Thumma says, creating community where there was none. They shaped their ministries around young families who had just moved to the suburbs from the city or another part of the country, and the churches developed a culture that fit that. Socially, economically, politically, and racially, downtowns of large cities tended to be the antithesis of the suburbs, so very few suburban churches tried to make that cultural leap.”

For the full article, click here.