Things You Might Not Read From the Armchair Mafia…
I find it interesting how the ODM’s love to find examples of Mega-churches “failing” in one way or another, and then using that “failure” to paint the entire movement with a brush so broad as to be unwieldable. In that light, I highly suspect that you won’t be reading about this study (or its rather high-profile publicity) or this study from those same purveyors of “truth” and “discernment”.
[NOTE: By bringing it up here, though, I would not be surprised if the study is linked/parsed/poo-poo'ed by the ODM's, just so as not to let good news go unwarped.]
From the Studies
Why won’t you hear about this?
Judge for yourself after reading the articles:
Ninety-two percent of megachurch members believe that hell “absolutely exists,” compared with just over three-quarters of small-church members, the survey found.
Because evangelical Christians are encouraged to share the Gospel with others, the Baylor researchers found that more than half of megachurch members said they shared their faith with strangers in the past month and more than 80 percent witness to friends — far more than those who attend small churches.
Researchers say that probably explains why four of 10 megachurch members say that at least half of their friends attend those congregations.
“None of the things we all believe about the megachurch is true,” said Dr. Rodney Stark, Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences at Baylor and co-director of the ISR.
Even with congregations of more than 1,000 members, the Baylor Religion Survey found that megachurches surprisingly are more intimate communities than small congregations of less than 100 members [...]. Megachurch growth is mostly due to their members, who tend to witness to their friends, bringing them into the group, and witness to strangers, much more often than members of small churches.
[On Worship Style] Not surprisingly, contemporary worship (indicated by electric guitars, keyboards, drums and visual projection equipment) remains the overwhelming norm for worship. In the 2008 study 78% of megachurches thought the term “contemporary” described their worship quite or very well, with only 2% saying this didn’t describe their worship at all.
Additionally, they overall describe their worship first as joyful. Among 7 choices offered, the most-selected 2 characteristics intensified in just 3 years (”joyful” and “God’s presence”), while the next 2 remained roughly the same.
Something else interesting in the studies is the data presented on growth:
Their average rate of growth for 5 years is around 50% increase in attendance, with only slightly more than 10% of the churches showing stagnation or decline.
Crying About Outliers
This is in stark contrast to what the Armchair Mafia would like you to believe. One ODM recently commented that Americans were “leaving the church in droves”, but quite interestingly, in the article she cited, we read about one of the megachurches cited:
[The church] had morphed into a megachurch that had dropped its freewheeling charismatic distinctives for a much more staid service that emphasized writings by Charles Spurgeon and other Reformed theologians. The bookstore was stocked only with books personally approved by the pastor.
Perhaps it wasn’t that this church had “watered down” the message, it just forgot that the message is 2,000 years old, not 150 years (or 500 years) old. And, in doing so, it spent more time worshiping the reformers than the One Reformer.
Stewardship
There are also some interesting details that deal with stewardship:
It is clear that for most megachurches attendance size is increasing, but at the same time, the size of the main sanctuary, judged by seating capacity, is remaining constant. Thus a number of strategies and organizational innovations are evident in the study that reflect new ways to continue to grow these congregations.
What the studies are finding is that, like in business and other observed institutions, there is an economy of size. While critics of megachurches like to lambaste their multi-million-dollar budgets, in reality it takes less dollars/member to maintain a megachurch of 2,000 members than it does to maintain ten small churches of 200 members each, which frees up more money to support local and international outreach.
Additionally, and more importantly, the number of volunteers/staff required to maintain the inward-focused ministries (worship, children’s programs, custodial staffing, etc.) is proportionally much smaller in megachurches. This frees up the available time for volunteers/staff to focus on the surrounding (and global) communities. [For example, you can lead contemporary worship in a 2,000-member megachurch with 75% fewer musicians/technicians/staff members than would be required to lead worship in ten, 200-member churches.] As a result, megachurches have become a proportionally much larger force in the missions field, at home and abroad.
Small Churches
Now, while these studies compared churches by size, I will agree that there are some advantages found in smaller churches. However, I would argue that doctrinal “purity” and solid teaching are independent of size, regardless of what the Armchair Dons will jealously whisper to you.
I would say that I thank God for all of His churches in America and around the world. Whether they are house churches, small churches, middle-sized churches or megachurches, He has enough room for them all, and there is no need to declare one more “Godly” than another, or to search for the outliers to create a poisoned narrative.
September 30th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Chris L.
While the size of the church does not determine the message of the church, In my experience I have found that the larger the church, the more watered down and dumbed down the message is. Many mega church pastors (not all) are fearful of offending one of their many attenders. Therefore, you get the Dr. Seuss sermon series (and others)which focus on moral maxims rather than scriptural truth.
September 30th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
PB,
Ah, yes….Your “facts be damned” attitude is simply refreshing!
Did you even read the post?
September 30th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
And of course you’ll never hear a Dr. Seuss sermon in a church of 100 people…
Did you even read the article and the studies?
Really?
September 30th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I have attended many churches. There are a variety of observations about all these churches wich cannot be summarily assigned to the size of the church. Growth is usually irrelevant since the Mormon Church grows rapidly, so that cannot prove God’s blessing or doing church “right”.
Some are shallow for sure, but I could never attend a church where the pastor teaches the Bible as an algebra book and claim that is the ONLY way God wants it done.
Nothing wrong with Spurgeon, except when he waxes eloquent about Calvinism.
Here is a question: If I had known Calvin’s five points before I was saved and if I believed that was what the Bible taught, I would never have become a Christian. My question is “Am I still elect?”
September 30th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I have it from good sources that the ballots are still being counted on that one, Rick…
September 30th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Friends,
Isn’t it funny how people can look at the church and see different things?
Some look at Calvinism, for example, and find assurance and hope. I look at it and see what Calvin saw: A horrible doctrine.
Some look at the mega-church and see nothing but the worst. Others look at it and see nothing but the best.
Some look at the small church and see nothing but hymns. Others look at it and see nothing but…hymns.
I’m glad this survey exists. It demonstrates what I have always believed about surveys: It depends on who is surveyed. My experience with the mega church is scant at best, but I will say this: (I Confess) much of the angst and dislike I have of the mega church is because I am professionally jealous that God the Lord has left me ’stuck’ in small churches, with small budgets, and annoying people instead of putting me in a large church with big budgets, lots of people and lots of headaches. Professional angst is not equivalent to biblical condemnation.
Then again, I suppose I might be the preacher of a mega church if I spent more time sharing the gospel and less time blogging and reading.
Who can tell? It’s one thing to dislike a certain atmosphere (I feel rather quite at home in a small church and my work is vital and necessary and no less important than that of a mega church preacher). It’s quite another to paint with broad strokes the color of condemnation all churches that do not fit the profile of my likes and dislikes.
Thanks Chris L., for the post.
jerry
September 30th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Chris L., Phil,
I read the entire post and the survey (after the survey/report, I feel tired)
I find the facts heartening, but I wish to dig deeper! How do the people witness? Do they just state one aspect of who Jesus is or do they present the whole truth? Do they invite them to church and thats it?
I am stating simply what I have observed. I have been a part of a church of 10,000 members and one as small as 8, and lots in-between. I find that pastors who have growth as a motivator many times (not always) will water down their messages. The larger the church, the further range from top (maturity) to bottom (unredeemed) You have to go for the middle to lower range so everybody understands.
In a large church, you can hide if you so choose. One good thing I liked about the large church I went to was the closeness of the small groups/sunday schools. If you got involved in one of these, you were prayed for, held accountable, and you learned. But, if you just want to go to church to stave off guilt, mega churches can be a great place to hide.
Anyhow I was careful to say not all megachurches are like this, and not all mega church pastors dumb down the message. I hope you caught that in the original post!
September 30th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
“Do they just state one aspect of who Jesus is or do they present the whole truth?”
It is impossible to present the whole truth of an infinite truth. I would rather have a person present Christ in a little bit of a shallow way than have someone who knows the deep things of Christ and has no evangelistic zeal.
Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, got saved hearing an imperfect gospel shared by an imperfect vessel. They were led to Christ by a PERFECT Spirit.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
This, of course, means a sermon to the whole church probably needs to be broader and more simplistic (not as deep and technical) as it could be in a smaller church with a narrower maturity scope.
Is this a bad thing? It can be preached as a bad thing for sure - e.g. “Look how simplistic these sermons are compared to… where’s the meat…” to use Chris R.’d filthy example.
But this is only true if, a) the Sunday sermon is the only/primary discipleship teaching moment, and/or b) you elevate it to some culturally conditioned position beyond the biblical norm.
In other words, the church is charged to “preach the word” - but this command has a plethora of application beyond one man behind a pulpit giving a lecture.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Amen!
September 30th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
or sitting on a stool having a non-biblical ‘conversation’
September 30th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Frankly, I’d be more upset at the idea that a pastor sees himself as at the “top” of the church. So much for servant leadership I guess.
Really, I don’t understand this thinking that it’s the job of a pastor to feed the sheep. If you want to stick with the metaphor of a shepherd, a shepherd takes sheep to a field to graze, but he doesn’t feed them. The sheep still feed themselves. Younger sheep are actually fed by more mature sheep. They’re not all dependent on the shepherd for food.
I actually see power-hungry pastors in small churches just as in big ones. Usually bigger churches have more of an infrastructure in place to prevent power being centralized to one person. I’ve seen plenty of pastors in smaller churches who treat the church like their own little empire.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Because pulpits are of course mandated by Scripture…
Also, in my experience the number of verses someone uses in a sermon has very little to do with how Biblically accurate it is.
If you want proof of this, just watch Jack Van Impe for a few minutes. The man quotes more Scriptures than you can throw a stick at, but it doesn’t stop him from being wrong the majority of the time.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Phil,
“If you want proof of this, just watch Jack Van Impe for a few minutes. The man quotes more Scriptures than you can throw a stick at, but it doesn’t stop him from being wrong the majority of the time.”
JVI is not here to defend himself. Ooh, maybe Rexella could come by for a bit! Uh, yeah, I thoroughly agree.
jerry
September 30th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Problem is, too often a conversation is deemed “non-biblical” because of style or some predetermined “what must be inlcuded to be biblical” criteria. Most of the stuff on our favorite armchair sites confuse methods with message.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
What the “facts” prove is that Spirit of God moves in and on men without regard to who is in the pulpit. Warren, Bell, and the other ringmasters cannot thwart God’s plan no matter what tripe they promote.
Belief in the existence of a hell proves nothing in and of itself, as even the demons who will permanently reside there, “believe”
Funny that there is no mention of the “fact” that 87% of mega church proceeds go to maintenance of the institution.
I had two jehovah witnesses at my door this morning. Their sole agenda is to assimilate me into their culture.
Who cares if the mega church folks are more active in their “evangelizing”?
If the gospel is boiled down to join my church so you will feel like you belong somewhere, then they are preaching another Jesus and are no better than the jw’s.
Aren’t there better things for the alleged saints to be doing than conducting useless surveys and using them as foundation to support oneseelf as being right ?
September 30th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
You know, I thought I would never, ever go to a mega-church, not even if I was forced. Guess where I’m going now? A mega-church! Why am I going there? Because the messages are so amazing! Not watered-down at all, and extremely interesting. The pastor is very educated and well-informed. I don’t agree with everything, but then I don’t think you have to.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
OK Merry, We have to ask, “Which Mega-Church?”
October 1st, 2008 at 8:31 am
I am a member of mega church in Houston. In the past I went to a medium sized church and then a very small church plant and ended up personally knowing about the same number of individuals no matter what the size. You can only have so many intimate friends no matter how large the initial “pool” of prospects from which there is to draw. I also found size did not necessarily correlate to the “depth” of the message. I have, however, personally experienced (twice) that the “depth” of the message dramatically decreased and the entertainment factor dramatically increased when the churches went Purpose Driven.
October 1st, 2008 at 9:22 am
So many fallacies, so little time…
If Bell and Warren can’t thwart God’s plan, why are you and your cronies so worried about them? It seems like you’re wasting a lot of energy on something that doesn’t matter.
I believe the 87% number is an average for all American churches, not just mega-churches. That number probably has a tendency to be higher in smaller churches actually because the paid staff to member ratio actually is higher in many small churches.
Also, I’ve never heard any pastor of a mega-church say that the gospel equals “join my church”.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Just for the record, I go to a mega church gathering and we love it. It’s been SOOO healing for my family and I.
We are extremely connected to the body at large.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Since the Scripture gives absolutely no guidelines for the size of the local assembly, then isn’t it pragmatism to contest the structure/size of a “mega-church”? And doesn’t that argument belie Sola Scriptura when you argue with no Biblical base? And isn’t the argument against a mega-church based on a purpose driven small groups model?
Just some thoughts to promote unity.
October 1st, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Rick: I believe in Sola Congregation, therefore churches with multiple “campuses” are unScriptural.