What is WRONG with mega-churches??? "J Source" Explains!
One thing I cannot stand in Christian MEGA-Churches today is how cool and businesslike they are.I attended a large mega church for about a year and a half. The Mega-Church had a Sunday morning attendance of over 2,500 people. And I made the following observations:
1. Approaching the Senior Pastor is next to impossible.
2. The Senior Pastor usually cannot be bothered and is cool and impersonable.
3. There are so many types of ministers you need a guide to know which one to go to for what.
4. Tithing is preached about more often in a mega church then one would expect, even for a mega church.
5. There are practically innumerable committees, sub committees, and other things.
6. They have no problems selling merchandise on their Sabbath.
7. Java and Latte and Capuccino in the lobby for sale is common in mega Churches.
8. Red tape, red tape, red tape on starting or doing anything service oriented.Is it just me, or when a church becomes a mega church, isn't it just a large business with religious overtones?
Editor's note: RIGHT ON BROTHER!!!
Labels: evangelicals, J of Shadows of WCG, megachurches
We have a number of megachurches in the United States, particularly here in the Pacific Northwest.
A colleague told me that in addition to what you have observed, the megachurch runs a tight ship: It is all plastic cookie cutter and the format is quite rigid. It is also quite hierarchically stratified into several classes of elite and then all the rest. They will take absolutely no truck with those who would want to change any of the format or content. Dissent and you are out. Of course, that's assuming that you could make even the smallest dint in the titanium encasement of the church structure.
Most of these churches started small. The local megachurch was founded with a group of 40 or so people decades ago with a pastor who actually wanted to live modestly and serve the people humbly. Over the decades, there are 6,000 to 10,000 people per weekend with minivans transporting people from huge parking lots for sermons of a precise length. If it is say, 45 minutes with the music and sermon and the preacher goes past his allotted time, he just stops mid sermon. These megachurces depend on turnover and no one can wait. The preacher moved up to a multimillion palace on Puget Sound with a spectacular view. It's all part of serving the Christian Crowd for the VIP.
There's no fooling any of us: This is just not what Jesus would have ever done.
It's an entertainment business and the deacons are Disney crowd movers.
If you want attention, bring money -- lots of it.
Posted by
Douglas Becker |
Monday, July 30, 2007