A 11,000 church doesn't seem personal to me. How many of the congregants could he have known? Not to mention, how many associate pastors could he have employed and how many congregants could they have known? These churches remind me of clubs, where families go for supper and socializing. How faith-centered could it possibily be?
I remember reading about a mega church (I forget the pastor's name) and how it got started.
The "pastor" and his group went door-to-door asking people what they DIDN'T like about church. One of the things mentioned was too much attention given to Christ. The pastor then, when starting the church, wouldn't allow having a cross inside the sanctuary... he said it might be "off-putting".
Gee, if you don't have a church that mentions Christ, could it really be a CHRISTIAN church?
Good post, I think. I've been to a number of mega-church services. Most, to me, seem more akin to a concert hall than a place of worship. The services seem more like entertainment than worship.
I can understand the appeal of this, but I don't think it's what Jesus had in mind at all. You're right...there is no personal connection there. Most of these churches, however, have small groups that assemble separately. The question is whether those groups have good leaders. Not everyone is equipped to be a pastor or any other sort of leader.
As for folks like Haggard, I'm sure he knew the congregants who donated large sums of money. That seems to be the order of things. The rest? Well, he didn't know them, I'm sure. Some associate might have, but a lot of people in the congregations of these churches don't really care about that personal connection. It's entertainment for a boring Sunday, and it makes them feel good and think they're worshipping. No problem with that, really, but they're missing an important element of belonging to a church...and that's a pastoral relationship.
In a small church, or even a medium-sized one, you can make an appointment and speak one on one with the pastor, who can counsel you in difficult times, advise you about questions of faith, or merely console you when you grieve.
He can do that because he knows you. He sees you in the congregation, meets you at church events. He has watched your children grow up and knows, at least to some degree, who you are.
I'm reminded of two funerals I attended this year. One was for a man who was nominally a member of a fairly large local church. He didn't really attend except a couple of times a year. The pastor was at a loss as to what to say about this man, and mumbled some general things, many of which were quite wrong. He simply did not know the man, even though he had been a member there for years. Those who did know him, and his family, which did attend services regularly, were not comforted.
In the other case, the funeral was held in a small Lutheran church. The pastor knew the man very well, and had known him and his family for many years. This funeral spoke directly about the man and was a great comfort to his family and friends.
That is the difference. If you are part of a church where you are known as an individual, you are part of a community that can give you real support when you need it. If you're part of a church where you are just a name in a database, then you won't get that kind of support. It just isn't happening.