Posted on 11/22/2005 7:11:21 AM PST by nckerr
'Megachurches' draw big U.S. crowds
By Joyce Kelly and Michael Conlon
CHICAGO (Reuters) - On a recent Sunday at Willow Creek Community Church, a Christian rock band joined by dancing children powered up in the cavernous main hall, their images ablaze on several gigantic screens.
Thousands of worshipers from the main floor to the balcony and mezzanine levels were on their feet rocking to a powerful sound system. Outside cars filled a parking lot fit for a shopping mall. Inside some people drifted into small Bible study groups or a bookstore and Internet cafe for lattes, cappuccinos and seats by a fireplace.
This church near Chicago and others like it number their congregations in the thousands on any given Sunday in stadium-size sanctuaries; but in the end a major appeal of America's megachurches may be the chance to get small.
Institutions like California's Saddleback Church, Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois and Houston's Lakewood Church, each drawing 20,000 or more on a weekend, offer not just a vast, shared attraction but a path that tries to link individuals on a faith-sustaining one-to-one level beyond the crowd, observers and worshipers said.
Rick Warren, founder of California's Saddleback Church and author of the best-selling book "The Purpose-Driven Life," told a seminar held earlier this year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life that about 20 churches in America have more than 10,000 in weekend attendance.
"These churches can do a ton of things that smaller churches can't," said Nancy Ammerman, professor of the sociology of religion at the Boston University School of Theology.
"They have the resources to produce a professional-quality production every weekend, with music (often specially composed for the occasion and backed by a professional ensemble) and video and lighting and computer graphics and a preacher who knows how to work a crowd," she said.
But they also support "dozens or even hundreds of specialized opportunities for people to get involved in doing things with a small group of others. If you want someone to talk to who really understands what it is like to parent an autistic child, you may find a whole support group in a megachurch," she added.
MORE CHOICE
"Or if you really love stock car racing, but hate being surrounded by drunken rowdies, you can go with a busload of your church friends. I wouldn't say that there are fewer rules in most of these churches. Most of them really expect people to get involved in ways that can have a profound impact on their lives. It's just that there are so many paths into involvement that a smaller church just can't match," Ammerman said.
That's part of what Richard and Nancy Sauser of Schaumburg, Ill., said they found at Willow Creek where they have been members for more than 10 years. They attend regularly with their daughters, ages 5 and 7. The 30-year-old church draws 20,000 weekend worshipers.
"Anything they put their minds to, they can pretty much do," he said, marveling at the power inherent in size. But he added, "Willow Creek has the resources to effectively execute on multiple facets of church life," through more than 100 different ministries.
Sauser said he does not attend Willow Creek for its size but for the teaching and the ministry.
When the thousands at Willow Creek break into smaller groups for Bible study, the men's ministry, the special needs ministry and the adult ministry, a lot of life change occurs. "In the small groups, that is where it really gets good," Sauser said.
When the crowds head for Willow Creek's parking lot, attendants in orange vests direct processions of cars into smoothly paved parking lots ahead of the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services. Inside, the throng moves through the hallways and up and down escalators and stairs, welcomed by smiling greeters.
Some drop off children at Sunday school.
On the first floor Danielle Jackola of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a mother of two who recently moved to the area from California, has come in search of a church. After listening to dynamic lead pastor Gene Appel speak on family and passing the baton of faith from one generation to the next, she liked the message -- and the entertainment.
"I had never been to something like that. I think that is one of the ways of getting your numbers up ... to get the message across but to keep it fun and upbeat. And more contemporary to get more young families involved," she said a few days later -- after deciding to join the church.
SEARCH FOR MEANING
Scott Thuma, a sociologist of religion at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, said his research indicates there are at least 1,200 U.S. Protestant churches which claim more than 2,000 weekly attendees.
Megachurches are addressing the needs of Americans who are disinterested in "traditional church" yet want to deepen a sense of meaning in their lives. Classes and volunteer ministry opportunities lead to a deeper commitment, he said.
"They have opened worship to the seeker and the unsaved rather than reserving Sunday worship for the saved and sanctified," Thuma added.
The three largest churches are Saddleback, Willow Creek and Houston's Lakewood. But Warren said the world has far larger churches, pointing to mammoth Christian congregations in Nigeria, South Korea and elsewhere.
Warren said U.S. Protestants have returned to the 19th century roots of the evangelical movement, emphasizing social issues such as caring for the sick, the poor and the powerless, and not just concentrating on personal salvation.
"The small group structure is the structure of renewal in every facet of Christianity, including Catholicism," Warren told the Pew forum. He said his church has 9,200 lay ministers leading more than 200 different ministries all over southern California with 2,600 small groups in 83 cities.
I agree that God hates divorce... but I wonder why you never talk about Ezra where God commanded the men of Israel to divorce their wives? Preaching half a gospel is still just preaching half a gospel.... isn't it?
"yet in Ezra he commanded the men of Israel at that time to divorce their wives"
Well wasn't that to divorce their idolatrous wives? Again we see that God is a God of mercy considering what COULD have happened....
because the men had married pagan women during their time of exile.
This is reflected in Paul's (much later) warning for us to not become yoked with non-believers.
But God hates divorce... period. Right? That means never get divorced or you'll be judged. Isn't that what you're saying? Yet the bible says God commanded the men of israel to divorce those women who weren't His. Isn't that right?
So all of those divorced people that you judge... do you ask them first if they were married to an idolator before they got divorced?
Certainly a two parent family is the biblical ideal. And when divorce happens (for whatever the reason), yes it is more difficult to raise the children, obviously. However, in an abusive marriage, the children are so adversely affected, that it is better to divorce (assuming counseling has failed)not only for the children's sake but for the sake and safety of the mother. (assuming it's the man who is abusive). God never expects people to stay in a situation where they are being abused.
My pastor teaches God hates divorce very strongly, as he should, but he also has said that if you find yourself a single parent, beacuse of an abusive marriage, etc. God will cover for you and that I believe and can testify to.
Peace.
There is a difference between spiritual abundance and material abundance. Scripture points us towards the former, not the latter.
Conversely to your opinion, scripture tells us over and over again to reject worldliness, to reject the desire to seek material gain, and to be wary of false teachers. Heaven is our goal, not material abundance.
The Lord meets our needs - to suggest otherwise is to deny the sufficiency of His grace.
Joel Osteen and the rest of the "name it and claim it", power-of-positive-thinking group are nothing more than the latest form of idol-worshippers and snake-oil salesmen. They focus only on what we can get from God, instead of us giving to Him what He is worth.
I don't believe that is entirely correct. I live in a city where there are mega conservative churches on every block.
I don't know Willow Creek at all. So I take your word for it. And praise God if they are preaching Christ.
Warren is another story. When that whole thing came out during those killings in Atlanta I thought his defense of the faith was dreadful. And the quotes from his book amazingly shallow. I have a problem when someone promotes a book to believers other than the Bible. I see him doing more than offering a bible study book etc. but more like Paul didn't explain it right so here is my text. That I reject completely.
"You're confused, my friend. Getting kids plugged into youth groups, etc., has absolutely NOTHING to do with replacing mom or dad or both. Nothing. Zip, nada, zilch to do with it.
I'll explain further, but you seem intelligent enough that I shouldn't have to."
Save your condescension for someone else.
And just do this for me: point me to the office of "youth pastor" in Scripture. When you do that, I'll be on board.
Till then, I'll continue to point out that the youth pastor is most often the youngest person on staff, the least experienced, the least literate in Biblical matters, the least mature spiritually...then they are told to shepherd the most vulnerable. Something's wrong with that picture. Moreover, the vast majority of evangelical youths who have been brought up in this model leave the faith by the time they are sophomores in college, according to those who collect this sort of data.
If you are interested in investigating opinions which might challenge yours, you could read some articles here:
http://www.visionforumministries.org/sections/ncfic/articles/
But I have to warn you. If you read these articles in good faith and do the exegetical work, you might get very uncomfortable with your previous opinions.
Believe me, I don't lump in Saddleback with the others (although I could personally never attend a church that large).
The Purpose Driven Life is quite biblical (no matter what the King-James-Only, Calvinist naysayers here say).
Wow, so you have 20,000 and up in attendance on every block?
What city is this? Chualar, California?
Oh, sorry. I meant 10,000 and up.
Republicans don't need to preach to these big churches.
Most are charasmatic or "true" evangelical and that are already convinced...
....by real conservatism when it exists.
The GOP needs to respect these folks but they don't need convincing except to vote for RINOS maybe when the alternative is worse....
...something we all loathe doing.
These Christians should not be confused with the salvation thru deeds alone crowd which is mostly just feel good-be nice Christianity and is composed of apostate liberals from top to bottom.
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Let's hope that Danielle is just started down a path of "right turns"...
first, leaving California, then getting some church exposure, and maybe more
good moves along the path.
("leaving California" is said with a bit of joking...there are more than
a few bastions of deceny in CA)
I actually meant those here who seem to be claiming that worship is only for the "elect" - that we shouldn't be letting the rabble in whilst we worship.
There are two previous posts in this thread that imply just that.
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