Elevation Church in North Carolina is planning to open a college:

Elevation Church announced that the new institution would offer two associate and eight bachelor’s programs, including ministerial leadership, biblical studies and digital media and design. Classes, a combination of regular SEU courses and those exclusive to Elevation students, will be delivered in online and hybrid formats.

However, students will be required to live in Charlotte, N.C., to participate in the programs and to complete “practicum experiences” at the megachurch…

Historically, a huge number of U.S. colleges and universities were founded in partnership with churches or began as seminaries. In recent years, a handful of megachurches—a relatively modern term referring to churches with particularly large buildings and weekly attendance of 2,000 people or more—have dipped their toes into education. For example, Highlands College, which was created by the Church of the Highlands, the largest church in Alabama, opened its doors in fall 2023. While the college was originally founded to train ministers for the Church of the Highlands, the institution has since branched out, announcing this year that it would launch a business school.

Celebration Church, a megachurch in Texas, launched a small institution called Austin Christian University in 2023 with just two dozen students. But the university, which is focused on Christian business education, has grown to enroll 63 students this past spring. Megachurches are also opening K–12 schools, such as Dream City Christian Academy, a school with nearly 800 students operated by Dream City Church in Phoenix.

The article mentions three megachurches that have opened colleges in recent years. Does this make a pattern or trend? Consider:

1. There are lots of megachurches in the United States. See a list here.
2. This is not exactly a boom time for colleges in the United States. These difficulties include a decrease in potential students in the coming years and lower public sentiment about a college education.
3. It takes time to set up a college, attract students, run successful programs, and build a name.
4. The main advantage a megachurch might have is a built in audience and brand. If it already has thousands of attendees plus those people (and others) trust the name, this could provide a certain number of interested students.

If this is a growing trend, it is a small one (if there are indeed 3 new colleges).

Another interesting matter from the article above: what curriculum would such a college offer? The theology and ministry degrees make sense given the church connections. And then add on digital media and design? A business school? As they look to establish themselves, they probably have some sense of what programs could serve the church as well as attract students. And these degrees would be marketed as alternatives to what typical colleges and universities offer.