What’s the deal with those Mega Churches?
Setup
Boy there is so much to say here. The cogs in my brain started turning after a conversation I had at lunch today. It went something like this:
(I am the D)
E: Did you hear about that new “cult church” they’re building near my house?
D: I’m not sure what you’re talking about.
E: Ya they just finished a 500 seat auditorium and they have plans to build a huge gymnasium and a 1,400 seat auditorium.
D: So that makes them a cult?
E: Well its not normal.
D: Why because it isn’t a tiny 50 member church like all those peppered throughout our region? Because they use technology and have modern music?
E: I don’t know, its just not normal.
D: I was married in a 15,000 member church and have never attended a church with less than 500 people. So does that make me a cult member? We almost went to that church Saturday.
Erin and I had visited this church when we first moved here. Services were held in the local Regal movieplex which took some getting used to. They seemed like a new church and they still had some kinks to work out. Well now they have the first phase of their construction project done. We were actually talking about visiting the church again (they have Saturday evening services which we love).
I thought the whole conversation was awkward at best and the others at the table presented their best nervous laughs, not wishing to express their opinions. The other person is a lifelong Catholic and probably has known nothing different. That said, the purpose of this is not to put down any group, however there is a lot of controversy surrounding megachurches.
What about em?
Its all a matter of perspective, really. To me, a megachurch is something like Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church or the more personal United Methodist Church of the Resurrection (we have ties there), basically any church where the membership is more than 5,000. I imagine, however, that to someone used to going to a 50 member church, a place with 1000 members is mega to them.
These churches often boast of mega money. Their buildings are beautiful and they are decked out with the latest of tech gear. Some even have top-notch video production departments that rival many news stations. Many times these churches are also met with much controversy. Whether it be land and traffic issues or the questioning of the wisdom of such a large organization these churches are no strangers to being on the six-o’clock news.
What do I think of them? Well, I think two things and the two mega-churches I mentioned above will do nicely to explain them. Both churches have big lavish buildings. Both have top notch technology. Both have growing memberships, big budgets and Sunday morning cafes. So just how do they differ?
I have attended UM-COR quite a few times in my ventures to Kansas City. The pastor of this church of 15,000 is the same man that employs my mother-in-law and the same man who married Erin and I. Don’t think that my personal connection here has influenced my opinion of the matter. In my opinion people are not drawn to this church because of the music or technology. People are drawn to this church because of the message. Adam Hamilton delivers relevant and life changing sermons that come straight from the Word of God. He is not afraid to discuss those normally taboo subjects such as homosexuality, sex, giving, and other religions. He does his best to present all sides of the issues and leaves it to you to make up your mind as to what you believe. I believe that people feel challenged to go deeper with God when they leave.
I have not attended the Lakewood Church but I have seen Joel Osteen on TV. His church packs out a sports arena and boasts weekly attendance of something like 50,000 people and loads more if you consider his TV audience. In my mind, and from the lips of some who have been there, Lakewood Church seems to be about the numbers and self-promotion. The sermons seem to be loosely based on scripture and they always make you feel good when they end. That is why so many people like to go there. Its all about making your life here on earth more prosperous or more enjoyable. Things like sin, salvation and redemption seem to be far from the typical topics.
The last thing American needs is a watered down Gospel. See a major risk you run with a church this size is that you become a puppet of the church. People don’t want to feel guilty or convicted of their sins. So in order to keep attendance up and giving high sometimes the pastors in essence sell out God. Offensive and controversial, yet very important topics are ignored and swept behind closed doors.
Church is not about feeling good. Its about growing in God, in faith, and in love. Church is about building relationships and fellowship with other believers. These things are difficult to accomplish in a megachurch. The size allows people to slip in and out unnoticed (which is exactly how they like it). While there may be “Get Connected” classes and Small Group initiatives a large percentage of people never participate.
Wrap-up
So how do I tie all this together? Well just because a church is growing large does not mean that it is ineffective. The opposite is also true. I’d say any seasoned believer should be able to establish the direction of the church after just a few services.
Whether you like huge churches where you can get lost in the shuffle or tiny churches where everyone knows your business the important thing is relationships. Foremost should be your personal relationship with God and then after that your relationships with others.
Its easy to be drawn in by pomp and circumstance, but after you are there, just make sure there is actual meat on the bones. God doesn’t really care where you go to church. Everyone has their personal preferences.
After all, everyone is different!! –I Love You, Erin
July 28th, 2006 at 4:02 pm
i agree 100 % with what you say dan. im gonna go a little beyond that and say that i think there’s too much focus and emphasis put on the church itself. my opinion might come out sounding a little wierd and maybe even blasphemous to some, but i think churches are, dare i say, overrated. a church is a a building where one or more gather to worship. whether that be a 20,000 seating megachurch or someone’s house where 10-20 friends meet each sunday to worship. i cant think of the saying exactly, but its something along the lines of “relationship, not religion”. to me, a church is more religion oriented. but we shouldnt strive for religion, we should strive for a relationship with God.
i say all this partly because i have not attended any church in probably the last month, be it because for one, i dont really like the church im associated with and am looking for another, and two, because ive been out of town some. does that mean that i am sinning? is it a sin to not go to church? some say yes, i say no. just because im not sitting in a peu(sp?) sunday morning doesnt mean im not finding other means of worship and keeping up a relationship. my relationship with God has never nor will it ever falter simply because i miss church.
this reminds me of when i was younger, my dad used to skip church some sundays and go fishing by himself. my mom disagreed with this, but what he said to me has always stuck in my mind. he told me that when hes out on the lake by himself, its just him and God. he can relax, talk to God, and just enjoy the beauty of His creation. that might sound like a well thought out excuse for a fisherman to hit the lake sunday morning, but i believe what he said.
i guess what im saying is, enjoy your worship wherever it be. whether it be in a mega sanctuary, small church, or even out on a lake, its all relationship. holler.