This is a follow up question about "mega-churches"?

Question

A simple atheist from the northeast asking...

This was the original question:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ar19S0tIJ8bl_P3oa3rzFpfsy6IX?qid=20060914064942AAniyXL

Some of the respondents commented that the mega-church does not allow for personal contact with the minister (or ministers).

For those who attend these mega churches, do you find this to be the case and if so do you build a "relationship" with the church or is it a matter of going for the sake of going?

Answer 1

Hmm. I like this question of yours. I attend a big church myself, but inside of this big church the encouragement is to read the bible for yourself and to be responsible for you own walk with God. There are def. many needs that need to be met, so where I attend everyone is in a smaller "Family group" and in that smaller circle of friends we try our hardest to meet each other's needs and to help each other out with the bible. These needs are then reported back to the overseers of the church and thus everything is worked out and everyone is kept up to date. If you feel like your slipping thru the tracks then you're encouraged to speak up about it because we are all one body, and one family. It works for the best and I love where I attend b/c I feel like it's about love and family and less about BIG FANCY SMANCY CHURCH that is selfish. The same thing happens in a BIG company. Yes, it big, but somehow everyone's needs get met and things are reported back to the overseer.

Answer 2

JerseyRick,
I find that mega churches are good for being what's called, " Seeker Churches." That is, they cause people who are curious to come and be "a Family" with them. I've been to two that I would call Mega Churches. The Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, and Saddleback Church in Lake Forest. Pastor Chuck Smith is actually a very good pastor, and keep it close to scriptural accuracy. Unfortunately the ones I know that frequent that church are a bit too legalistic in the way they interpret what their pastor is saying. I don't hear the pastor saying what the people in it are saying. He should get a hold of that.

At Saddleback, it's really community oriented and family oriented. They have an overproduced flashy visual style of sermons as well as different venues for the different kinds of settings with different musics between what I call preaching 'sets.'

Their sermons are scripted, but with the attempt at making them seem spontaneous. I find it spiritless and phoney, and the scriptures are sometimes taken out of context. This is the home of Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life.

He is a very likable guy, but I like my scripture with a little more accuracy and integrity. But it still serves as a seeker church.

I hope that you've been noticing in what I have written the reasons why someone might not be satisfied with those two examples of Mega Churches. Anyone can go anywhere for whatever reason. And if God was moving with a particular church, I think that God would get a certain amount of people to be there. Some of us are more tuned into Him, than in the workinks of this church or that church.

So don't sweat it (as if), God's people will be fine. He's able to do far more than worry about what's going to happen to His churches. . . . . . not that you are worried.

Rather I see you question to be an insinuation of the worst sort. Not that you are doing it on purpose, but if Satan entered into you and is pushing for governmnet sanctioned controls on religion, you have that anti christ in you. Not surprising, you did say you were an Atheist. Not that you would believe that Satan even existed.

There are many small churches around here. And they have been there for decades, and manage to keep their marquis new with new clever sayings, and attempt to cause people to think and bring them in.

I just thought that I would satisfy your curiosity so that you didn't have to worry so much about all this.

"Thank you, thank you very much." - Elvis Presley

Answer 3

No Mega-Church that I know of does that,
I live in Dallas and The Potters House a Mega-Church Pastored by Rev. T.D. Jakes has numerous Assistant Pastors who are assigned to Zip Codes to service and meet the needs of it's congregation.
And as for people going for the sake of going, yes, some do, some don't it "vary's" according to the individual.
Some go to these Mega-Churches to worship but do so to avoid being asked to "commit" to anything.

Answer 4

I go to a very large church, not sure if it's a megachurch.....
We have a group of about a dozen pastors where none is "above" the other. They have to make decisions together. They hold each other accountable, etc.
We have smalll groups that help people get to know each other and the church gets really small that way. When Moses was leading the Israelites, he couldn't do it all himself. He had "priests" to help him. Our small groups are sort of "mini-leaders" for their group which is about 12-20 people. They have "coaches" that they go to for advice & help.
So.....besides this whole hierarchy....the pastors get to know the members by being in the halls meeting people and making themselves available, etc.
People participate & get to be part of the "family". If they are there just as observers or whatever, when they decide they want to get involved ....they can.

Answer 5

The mega church gives people the 'McDonald's happy meal' religious experience and it is very popular. No muss, no fuss, in and out. Also it fills the strong need for affiliation that this type of Christian has, they are a member of the BIGGEST and therefore the BEST! The Texas school of spirituality.

Answer 6

nicely I even have been in great and small church homes and that i've got self belief the smaller ones are greater powerful, they are much less commercial and has a feeling of relatives. Dispute your studies many of the small church homes I even have been to have been very accepting of all of us (interracial couples, gays, woman clergy and so on.) yet that could be using area, in NYC the smaller church homes are those that look greater accommodating to distinctive people. Peace and advantages = )

Answer 7

I attend a large Church and the Pastor is very access-able.