Sunday, 28 September 2008
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Question of the Day: Should Megachurches Exist?
by revelife crew
Should megachurches exist, or should churches only grow so large and then split?
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Comments (47)
I think that if a church has the mission of fulfilling the great commission and is preparing it's members in doing that (by educating them and teaching them how to use the gifts God has given them), then who cares if it's a body of 10 or 10,000? If a church is sending Christians out to spread the gospel and make disciples, then isn't that what they're supposed to do?
If you look in Acts, there are accounts of thousands getting baptized in one day. Would that not count as a megachurch, even in the first century? I think that there is much usefulness in a large church or a small church. Remaining biblical is what is key.
@IamKelleyK@xanga - It's true that it does not matter how many people are in one building, as long as they are all in one accord. However I do not necessarily think that having numbers added to "the church" every day as it says in Acts meant that they were all meeting in the same building.
@quiet_strength - They weren't meeting in the same building, because there weren't church buildings. Churches that are effectively sharing the gospel in their community are good churches, no matter their size. The bible doesn't give guidelines for the size of a church, so there is freedom there.
ps. the picture of this church makes me want to vomit. no really, i am going to go vomit now.
You know, I just have a really hard time seeing the benefit of having a church that big. Unless they have the most incredible small groups ever, it would be too easy for people to go in and just lose themselves in a sea of people all the time. If you show up, stay for the service, and walk out right away, how beneficial is that for your Christian walk? This is something I'm struggling with myself, and I'm only in a church of about 4,000!
*Or maybe I'm just biased because on our way home from our church, we have to drive by a very large church that needs police directing traffic in the surrounding area.
I think if the church is acting effectively, it doesn't matter how many people there are. However, when I was younger, I was trying to find a church that fit me, and I attended a very large church. I noticed that a good percentage of the congregation were more there out of obligation than anything else. They texted, chatted about nothing to other people, and generally paid no attention to the sermon.
I ended up choosing a much smaller church, because everyone was there for the same purpose, and I felt comfortable and connected there.
@quiet_strength - True, the church is not the building, it's the people. So why are we referring to megachurches as building-fillers? They're part of the Church (as in Body of Christ) that happens to meet in a big building. It's still about the people. If a megachurch has a mission of just making their building bigger, that's a problem. But if it's about adding to the body of Christ, then where is the fault? Too many people confuse that.
Megachurches indeed have become commercialised. They are million dollar business. Some people criticise these churches who make profit by churning out album after album. But on the other hand, these albums do change lives and do help other churches. Perhaps it is a double edged sword business, keeping in mind that the western church spends most of its income on itself.
Yet I won't be so quick as to point fingers... for every 1 finger I point at others, 3 more point back at myself. Who are we to judge other churches, big or small? God himself is the judge.
In the end its not the numbers, but whether or not the Great Commission is being carried out, whether or not the underpriviledged are cared for, and whether or not the chruch is faithful to God. Remember that if much is given, much is expected back.
I attend a church that just hit mega-status (2000 people), and the reason for it is that we have a mission to actually do something about our faith and not just sit around. We find ways for everyone to serve others, and we also have communities for people to connect to others with.
The funny thing about this church is that, even though it's mega, it's being far more effective than any small church I've ever seen.
Quote from our pastor when asked where "The Well" (the name of our church) will end up:
"Hopefully we will be in every neighbourhood."
How can megachurches possibly be a "church" if they are so big that most of the members don't even know each other? Isn't the whole point of a "church" to create community and family that worships and prays together, does things together and for each other, evangelizes and reaches out to others in a tangible way?
I have belonged to : 1) A very large church that was not close-knit - the services felt like mostly ceremony, but no warmth 2) A very large church that was INCREDIBLY close knit - it was all about relationships 3) A very small church that was cold and lifeless 3) A very small church that is dynamic and warm and creates relationships between its members. All of them were Biblical and preached the gospel. It doesn't matter the size - the PEOPLE and the relationships are what mattered the most, in terms of drawing my family into a closer relationship with God. Not the size of the worship, the fancy windows or the majestic music....it's the people that matter. And as one person said above, unless these megachurches have an amazing small-group ministry going on, along with many other smaller ministries within, drawing people together, all they seem like is a big PERFORMANCE that people go to see - not a real church.
i would have to say that as long as the Great Commission is being fulfilled... and that people are effectively reaching out and engaging people rather than becoming a modernized cloister where the lost don't know Jesus and people are becoming stagnant...
most mega-churches are reputdiated to be so seeker-friendly that they become just another club with a moralistic message rather than Christ-centered and Gospel-saturated....
once you start preaching the need to repent of sin and forsake the life of rebellion, people will leave... and i really think it's high time American seeker-churches start twisting their messages towards a more Christ-centered ideal rather than living a good life kind of message....
it's not bad to have 2000/3000 seater churches... just so long as these churches are preaching Christ, repentance, and sin.... and that's where power really lies...
what judgmental answers i'm seeing!! if a church becomes 'mega', what is that to any of us? don't like it? not for you? then don't join it...pretty simple....christians need to quit throwing eachother under the bus, for cryin' out loud....
I don't have a strong perspective on megachurches as such, but I have problems with a church where I could stop attending and nobody would notice. That's some megachurches and some small churches.
-NDSR
If the church is preaching God's word, and listening to Him... then why shouldn't it exist? I feel like every church that is doing God's bidding, and preaching from the Scripture should exist...
but, to be perfectly honest, I go to a very large church. 1,000+ maybe even 2,000+, I'm not sure, because we have three services.. I'm part of a 30 piece orchestra, and I only see the first two services...
I grew up in a small church, in comparision. Not more than 50 people... And I feel incredibly uncomfortable in giant churches- because they're not welcoming. Large churches easily form cliques and make it hard for visitors to feel welcomed and likely to come back.
(The exact reason I am not plugged into the college ministry at my church. I'll stick with the 'music geeks', thanks...)
Basically... if a church is doing God's work and is encouraging visitors to come in and by all means, keep coming and get plugged into the ministries... if they're listening to God and doing His will... who cares how large the congregation is?
Yes, megachurches should exist, and yes, they should also plant other churches. Jesus preached to multitudes, and He also preached to small groups. My central church qualifies as a megachurch; we also have four other, smaller campuses.
@sirnickdon - Good point. All churches need to work on not letting anyone fall through the cracks.
I think megachurches are a reflection of our culture and how we operate as people. It seems to reflect the corporate world. Personally, I grew up in a small country church, and I prefer small groups of people because that's what I'm used to. I get totally lost in big churches, just like I get stressed and lost in big cities. I believe strongly in community and not so much in having a specific building. But everyone has their own preference. What is most important is that we are seeking God and being obedient to His direction, and that the 'church' itself does not become an idol or distraction from what really matters.
I can't answer the question of whether or not they should EXIST, but I don't think I could attend one regularly. It would definitely lose the intimacy for me and that's part of what I like in a church, everyone knowing each other and asking what's up. However, I do think conferences are effective which are just as large, usually larger. Once in a while I think it's good to remember just how big your family is, but mostly I like to keep it small.
@quiet_strength - agreed. in massive churches like that, the whole idea of fellowship and personal relationships with the entire congregation and the pastor is pretty diminished. i guess it can be equated to going from high school to college. my high school had 400 people and i was pretty much friends with almost everyone in my grade and many people above and below me, along with much of the faculty. in college, the faculty doesn't know your name and doesn't care to, and you see different people every day. the people around you don't tend to talk to you, and i would think a megachurch would be just like this experience.
@harmonyminusmelody@xanga - I cannot understand why so many people would trade intimacy with other believers (which in my opinion is a primary function of the church) for an entertaining church service/experience. I do not think it is right.
One thing I have deduced from natural law, the Scriptures and the study of theology, is that God is gregarious. Jesus preached to the multitudes. He was friendly and loved individuals, too.
He LOVES life - lots of it. And he loves his people. So the more, the merrier.
I would have to say that your picture of the mega-church shows an act of God: the assembly, spoken of in the Psalms.
I have also attended Mass, on the Navajo Reservation for example, where there were only two of us attending, plus the priest. You can't buy that kind of intimacy.
So when God presents a blessing it becomes a requirement to give thanks and not say, "Oh pooh! There are too many people here (or not enough)! Screw this! Whaaaa! God has to do things MY way or the Church sucks!"
Yes, Jesus would've wanted us to turn what is intended to be a holy, humble experience into a gratuitous, pretentious corporate yuppie haven that oozes misguided pontification out of every crevice.... And I'm sure he just loves the idea of erecting a giant mar on God's good earth in order to praise him. Yep.
-rolls eyes-
OK let's take a stop back and consider the purpose of the church. For one i think we get too caught up in the building and altogether forget that the people are what matter, not the building. As for megachurches, i think it can go either way; however i think that the tendency can be to focus on numbers and programs over fellowship. And by fellowship i don't mean potluck lunches once a week, i mean true intimate, life sharing intimate biblical fellowship. The same could also be said for small churches, but i think it tends to be less often
Really, there is only one church - the body of Christ. God places different amounts of believers in different places in accordance to His will. Jonah was told to preach to Nineveh and he went alone. Paul traveled with others. The church is not a building and it doesn't have a seating capacity. As my Pastor always says at the end of a Baptism..."and yet there's still room..."