THE MEGA CHURCH
PROS AND CONS

There is a new church in the neighborhood. It is big and beautiful. It has cushioned pews, and plush carpeting on the floors. It has stained glass windows, and air conditioning.

It provides all types of services for the community. It is a place for all who are without hope to come and be uplifted. They feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick. They are concerned for the homeless and the elderly. In short, they are providing what Jesus said we should all be doing.

You might say, so what is the big deal about this church???

The big deal, is its size.

Instead of seating several hundred, it seats several thousand. Its membership may be thousands, rather than hundreds. It may have to have several services to accommodate all its members.

This is what is called a 'mega church.'

Mega churches, have been around for a while, and more are being built, every year. Their goals, are to do, what the Lord has told them to do, and it is quite honorable.

This article, is not meant to criticize them, but rather to let you know the pros and cons of being a member of one of these churches.

As I mentioned, their service to the Lord, is without question. But, in the midst of it, problems do arise, that should make anyone think about what they are joining.

First. Because of their size, many who join these churches, become a face in the crowd. Unless they already know some of the members personally, they will find it hard to meet others in the church.

Next, getting to meet the pastor, is hard, if you don't know someone that is close to them. As good as some pastors are, they just can't meet everyone in their churches, and remember their names and faces. So, in many instances, you may have to settle for meeting the staff, and receiving newsletters or some other communication from the church, through the mail.

Then, when it comes to your having a problem, and you need counseling, you may have to settle for one of the staff. If you just have to see the pastor, it may be days or weeks, before you can meet with him or her.

If you miss services, because of illness, or something, you will most likely, not be missed. If you call for the pastor, once again, you may have to settle for one of the assistants. Not to put them down, but some people just don't feel that the assistant, is as good as the pastor.

In the church, if you don't know any one, and you want to get involved with the ministry, you may find that the ones that get the nod, are a special few, that are the cliques, in the church. If you are not in with them, you will go nowhere. As far as the pastor is concerned, many times, they are not even aware that there are cliques in their church. How can they??? There are just too many members.

There was a couple, that joined a church, that had a membership of a couple hundred. They had just gotten saved, and were excited about joining a church, that they felt would help the grow spiritually.

The pastor, is well known in Christian circles, and is highly respected. He is a true man of God. And it was through another preacher, that this pastor's church was recommended for them to grow in. So, they started going there.

They were really enjoying their new life in Christ. And they were hoping that the Lord would allow them to be used in the church. They were on fire for the Lord. They were there for every service, when they could make it.

Well, openings came up for volunteers to serve in one of several positions. They were looking for handymen, to work in the position of repairing things in members' homes, as well as mechanics. The young man applied and got accepted. At the same time, the young lady applied for working in the nursery during services, or as a church secretary. She was overlooked.

As time went on, the young lady began to see something that her husband, did not, and that was that a group of young women, seemed to always be getting picked to do certain things in the church, while she, and a few others, never got called on for anything they volunteered for. This began to disturb her, and she began to withdraw from volunteering. Her husband, however, was still being picked to do all sorts of things. Sometimes to usher. Other times to be a doorkeeper to the children's church in the lower levels of the building. The wife, began to resent the fact, that when they went to church, she had to sit by herself, while her husband was busy.

She began to complain about it to him, and he thought she was being foolish. There began to be a strain in their relationship. After a while, she quit going to church there, and wanted him to stop going so much. She wanted to find another church. But, he didn't. This caused marital problems.

Now, my point is this. The pastor, was totally unaware of this group of young ladies, and their managing to keep others from getting in to serving in the church.

Why didn't he know??? Because no one told him. In order to get an appointment to see him, you had to go through one of these young ladies. And they would usually ask you, what you wanted to see him about. This young lady, didn't feel like lying to the girl, just so she could get to the pastor and tell him what the problem was.

This is just one small example of what can happen, in churches, with hundreds or thousands of members.

Most of the churches that I am affiliated with, are rather small, when compared to the few larger churches that I visit.

In the smaller churches, you get to meet the pastor, and he knows you by name. If you miss a service, you might get a call from him or her. Think of that. The pastor calling you personally, to see how you are doing.

In smaller churches, there is plenty to do, and not enough help. If you want to get busy, they will have plenty for you to do.

Another thing. In smaller churches, you can help in the growth of it. With a mega church, it is already there, and all you may be doing, is helping pay bills or something. It's already grown, so to speak. There is a special feeling, when you join a church with say, 25 members or so, and over the years, watch it grow to several hundred or more.

The possibility then becomes, it may become a mega church, but with you as one of the people that is in a responsible position.

So, as you can see, there are pros and cons to joining mega churches. The choice is up to you. If you just want to be a face in the crowd, and not be missed when you don't make the service, then you will be right at home.

On the other hand, if you want to get in to helping in a church, then a smaller church will be what you are looking for.

The main thing you need to do, is get in to a local church, so you can grow in the Lord. Make sure that the church you join, is one that is preaching the true gospel.

There are several listed in this newsletter, and I will vouch for each of them, because I have been to their services, and know what they stand for.


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OCTOBER, 1998


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