Those Darn Megachurches!
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Tue, February 27, 2007
- Viewed 143
- (46) comments so far
“As the pastor of a church, I read with great interest the pair of front-page articles about megachurches recently inThe Courier-Journal. The articles provided a powerful reminder of the tremendous impact megachurches are having upon our society.
As megachurches increasingly influence both the religious and political agenda of our country, they are redefining what it means to be Christian and a church member in America, and there are some troubling implications to consider.
One of those implications is the damage suffered by all of the smaller churches that serve as the source of members for megachurches. The sheer size of megachurches creates an illusion of church growth that is not entirely accurate.
Though one of the articles quoted a researcher as saying growth in megachurches is occurring as many smaller congregations are dwindling, there was a failure to note the connection between the growth of the megachurches and the corresponding decrease of many other congregations.
A large portion of the growth of megachurches—perhaps the majority—comes as a direct result of people moving from smaller to larger congregations. A survey of churches in the Louisville region would probably find that most congregations have lost some members to one or more of the megachurches in the area.
The result of this shift has been the decimation of countless smaller churches and the decline of community-based congregations. Just as more and more businesses succumb to the “big box” retailers, increasing numbers of small churches are losing members to the “big box” churches. And just as the loss of local businesses hurts neighborhoods, so does the decline of local churches that serve the communities in which they are based.
A less obvious, but perhaps more troubling implication of the rise of megachurches, is the creation of the “religious consumer.” A religious consumer mentality, encouraged by the sheer range of options and activities at megachurches, is reshaping the mission and function of churches as prospective members “shop” for a church the same as they would shop for a place to get their hair cut or buy their groceries.
As the religious consumer shops for a congregation that will offer the widest range of choices for his family, he is asking, essentially, what will the church do for me?
This consumerism fuels the rise in coffee bars, “family life centers” that are basically religious health clubs, and a full schedule of activities to keep every member of the family busy.
While effective in attracting members, these may have little to do with the central mission of the church, which is to encourage people to be followers of Jesus and his way of life. Jesus said he who has lost his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 10:39), reflecting an attitude in direct opposition to the spiritual consumer mentality that asks, “How will I be served?”—rather than, “How can I serve others?”
This religious consumerism would certainly be alien to the persecuted early church followers, who worshipped in secret among the decaying flesh of Rome’s catacombs. Such difficult conditions, rather than being an impediment to growth, fueled the explosive growth in the early centuries of the church.
Perhaps the church in modern America would do well to consider the lesson from the early church: that it is challenge and the giving away of one’s self, and not comfort or activities, that ultimately grows churches.
Bigger, while helpful in attracting media attention and members, is not always better.
Finally, one could question whether the paucity of articles about small churches is indicative of a belief at The Courier that nothing newsworthy happens in such congregations. As media attention is often equated with significance, it is important to note that countless numbers of small churches faithfully serve their communities every day, gaining no attention except from those they serve.
While that service may not make headlines, it certainly makes an incalculable difference in the lives of millions of people.”
David Charlton is pastor of the First Baptist Church of New Castle, Ky.
FOR DISCUSSION: Is this a fair treatise of the ‘megachurch’? Or is it a public whine session from the pastor of a smaller church? Since most of the readers of MMI come from small to medium size churches… what do you think? And maybe more importantly, what should pastors like David do in response? Does writing to the local paper on this type of thing really help, or does it read like sour grapes?
What’s your take?
There's always been a kind of 'rub' between smaller churches and larger churches. Some view it like the 'haves' and the 'have nots'; the 'rich' and the 'poor'. Megachurches have been accused of being sheep stealers (see below), shallow teachers, and more. Some ask how the smaller church can compete. Here's an interesting response from a pastor from Kentucky that was printed in the Courier-Journal. Read it and see what you think. Can you sympathize? Do you agree? Let's hear from people involved in both sides of this issue... those leading large churches, and those leading very small ones. It should make for some interesting discussion. Pastor David Charlton writes...
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Sandi on Tue, July 07, 2009
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