Posted on 10/02/2003 6:28:22 PM PDT by anncoulteriscool
Christian Capitalism
Megachurches, Megabusinesses
Luisa Kroll, 09.17.03, 12:00 PM ET
Maybe churches aren't so different from corporations. World Changers Ministries, for instance, operates a music studio, publishing house, computer graphic design suite and owns its own record label. The Potter's House also has a record label as well as a daily talk show, a prison satellite network that broadcasts in 260 prisons and a twice-a-week Webcast. New Birth Missionary Baptist Church has a chief operating officer and a special effects 3-D Web site that offers videos-on-demand. It publishes a magazine and holds Cashflow 101 Game Nights. And Lakewood Church, which recently leased the Compaq Center, former home of the NBA's Houston Rockets, has a four-record deal and spends $12 million annually on television airtime.
Welcome to the megabusiness of megachurches, where pastors often act as chief executives and use business tactics to grow their congregations. This entrepreneurial approach has contributed to the explosive growth of megachurches--defined as non-Catholic churches with at least 2,000 members--in the U.S. Indeed, Lakewood, New Birth, The Potter's House and World Changers, four of the biggest, have all experienced membership gains of late. Of course, growth for them has a higher purpose: to spread their faith to as many people as they can. "In our society growth equals success," says Scott Thumma, faculty associate at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. "And religious growth not only equals success but also God's blessing on the ministry."
In 1970, there were just ten such churches, according to John Vaughn, founder of Church Growth Today, which tracks megachurches. In 1990, 250 fit that description. Today, there are 740. The most common trait that these churches share is their size; average number of worshippers is 3,646, up 4% from last year, according to Vaughn. But they also demonstrate business savvy, with many holding conferences (47%) and using radio (44%) and television (38%), according to a 1999 survey conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. The average net income of megachurches was estimated at $4.8 million by that same survey.
Churches are exempt from income taxes. But in some cases they do pay an unrelated business income tax on activities not substantially related to the church's religious, educational or charitable purposes. (Churches do pay payroll, sales and, often, property taxes.)
Church Attendance* City, State Pastor
Lakewood Church 25,060 Houston, Tx Joel Osteen
World Changers 23,093 College Park, Ga. Rev. Creflo Dollar
Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa 20,000 Santa Ana, Calif. Pastor Chuck Smith
The Potter's House 18,500 Dallas, Tex. Bishop T.D. Jakes
Second Baptist Church 18,000 Houston, Tex. Dr. H. Edwin Young
Southeast Christian Church 17,863 Louisville, Ky. Bob Russell
First Assembly of God 17,532 Phoenix, Ariz. Dr. Tommy J. Barnett
Willow Creek Community Church 17,115 S. Barrington, Ill. Bill Hybels
Calvary Chapel of Ft. Lauderdale 17,000 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Pastor Bob Coy
Saddleback Valley Community Church 15,030 Lake Forest, Calif. Dr. Rick Warren
*Catholic churches are not tracked for this study. This is all 2003 attendance data and represents total weekend attendance for each congregation. Source: Dr. John N. Vaughan, Church Growth Today
Technology also plays a large role in helping these giant churches communicate with members and keep track of them. Many provide a transcript of the weekly sermons and an events calendar on the Web site as well as sell products, such as books and CDs. They also allow members to post prayers and donate online. Almost all (99%) have Web sites. "Cell phones, e-mail, complex phone systems and the Internet all enhance the way megachurches work," says Thumma, faculty associate at the Hartford Institute.
Helping churches grow is a business in itself. There is even a publicly traded company, Kingdom Ventures (otc: KDMV - news - people ), whose sole mission is to help faith-based organizations get bigger. In its latest 10Q, the company did disclose that it's received a subpoena from the Securities And Exchange Commission relating to its stock and transactions. Founded in 1999, the tiny company operates 12 subsidiaries and claims to work with 10,000 churches on everything from fundraising to event planning (it provides speakers and artists for events) to upgrading technology by helping sell new audio and visual equipment and sound systems. "One of the reasons megachurches are as big as they are is because they use the technology of today," says Kingdom Chief Executive Gene Jackson, "We can help smaller churches become big with technology."
If that doesn't help, they may steer folks to a new book they are about to publish: PastorPreneur, which is hitting Christian book stores this month. The book teaches pastors to think like entrepreneurs; for instance, encouraging them to set up strategic partnerships with nonchurch groups and to use event marketing to draw in new members.
For a lesson in marketing, religious leaders would do well to study the success of Bill Hybels and his Great Barrington, Ill.-based Willow Creek Community Church. In 1975, he and members of his student ministry went door to door asking residents what kept them away from church. Hybels then crafted his services to address their concerns, becoming one of the first pastors to use video, drama and contemporary music in church and encouraging a more casual dress code. "Hybels really showed that churches can use marketing principles and still be authentic," says Michael Emerson, a Rice University sociology professor who has studied megachurches. Willow Creek, which has a staff of 500 full and part-time employees, is renowned for its conferences and seminars that teach other churches how to market themselves as well as for its "buzz" events, featuring well-known personalities such as country singer Randy Travis, NASCAR Champion owner and former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs and Lisa Beamer, widow of Sept. 11, 2001, hero Todd Beamer--all intended to attract nonchurch goers.
Media has helped spread the message, particularly for Lakewood Church, the largest megachurch in the U.S. In 1981, Joel Osteen, son of then-pastor Joe Osteen, quit college to set up his father's television ministry. The services eventually aired in 140 countries. He also advertised Lakewood on local television and on billboards throughout Houston where the church is located. After his father passed away in 1999, Osteen became pastor and expanded the church's media strategy.
Like most churches, Lakewood's broadcasts had been relegated to the very early Sunday morning shows. Lakewood instead decided to target the top 25 markets in the nation and negotiate for timeslots on the four top networks between 8 A.M. and 10 A.M., rather than working with just one network. It also agreed to increase its budget for airtime to $12 million from $6 million. Its program now can be seen in 92% of the nation's households.
Never satisfied, the church analyzes its media strategy each quarter.
As for the services themselves, Lakewood makes sure to put on a grand show. It has a 12-piece stage band, a lighting designer to set the mood and three large projection screens. The technology will be even more spectacular when it moves into its new home in the former Houston Rockets' stadium "We really want it to feel like a concert," says Duncan Dodds, Lakewood's executive director. Something is working: Church attendance has grown from 6,000 in 1999 when Osteen became pastor to 25,060 today.
Pastor Rick Warren, who founded Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., in 1980, has deftly used technology as well as marketing to spread his message. His Pastors.com, which reaches 100,000 pastors worldwide each week, has e-mail forums, archives of all of his sermons from the past 22 years and a place to post prayer requests. He also sends a free weekly newsletter, Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox, to pastors. When it came time to launch his book, The Purpose Driven Life, last year, Warren used Pastors.com to invite churches to participate in a "40 Days of Purpose" event (to correspond with the book's 40 chapters). The 40-day-long event attracted 1,562 churches and was kicked off with a simulcast broadcast to all those churches. Some 267 radio stations ran a "40 days campaign" during the same time period. And a CD of "Songs for a Purpose Driven Life" featuring well-known Christian artists was also released. From the start, the books and CDs were distributed in mass-market retailers such as Wal-Mart (nyse: WMT - news - people ), Costco Wholesale (nasdaq: COST - news - people ), Barnes & Noble (nyse: BKS - news - people ) and Borders Group (nyse: BGP - news - people ). It quickly became a New York Times bestseller and has already sold 5.8 million copies, outselling Billy Graham and making it one of the most successful book promotions in Christian publishing history.
No doubt, churches have learned some valuable lessons from corporations. Now maybe they can teach businesses a thing or two. Companies would certainly appreciate having the armies of nonpaid, loyal volunteers. "The business world would love to have that kind of fellowship," says Vaughn.
Fascinating statement. I agree. Nearly all political and social problems are fundmentally theological in nature.
I believe you are reading a lot into this article. I have never been to one of these 'mega' churches, and I don't watch them on TV. Maybe you are wrong and I am just ignorant.
This is what is happening to my church here. It's frustrating to say the least. ICK is all I can say. I miss real bible study and preaching. I am tired of watered down pablum week after week.
And conservatives wonder why evangelicals are scorned so by the media and non-Christians...
This form of Christianity lacks substance. As loftyheights said earlier, replacing sound substantive doctrine with multistep programs will guarantee the church's ultimate demise as a church in just a few years.
Also, ask yourself whether the style of worship backs up the content. I would encourage anyone to look at the words of Rock of Ages, and compare them to Celebrate Jesus, or whatever's new in the Maranatha praise book this week.
No, the growth of these churches is not a blessing, they do represent what Christianity is about, and people know it. They know there's far more depth and more riches to Christianity than can be presented in these churches. And they're right!
My wonderful and very wise mother instilled in me that it only takes one generation of failing to teach the truths of the Bible for this nation to become a pagan country. I am afraid we are almost there.
The reason these churches are growing is that they are fundamentalist, with sound Christocentric doctrine. The churches that have elected to soften the doctine are dying off.
That is a fact!
The purpose of these churches is to "put on a show" rather than worship the Holy One of Israel. Can you imagine Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, or John Calvin preaching in one of these congregations?
NO! They would be told to leave.
How many of us even know who these men were today, and the prominent roles they played in shaping American culture?
Not nearly enough.
Our Lord said, "Strive to enter into the narrow gate", for the broad path leads to destruction. God is not your buddy. He is a consuming fire, and an awful, irreprehensible, and righteous Judge. At least in my Bible...
That too is a fact!
Every single problem we discuss here on FR can without exception be traced back to society's myopic view of God, regardless of denomination.
Another truth!
I have visited some smaller versions of the Mega Churches who follow the example of Saddleback Church. I will not be going back, when I have to wear ear plugs because of the volume of the music something is wrong. In my opinion a preacher wearing a Hawian shirt is disrespectful. The loud music, the words of the songs projected on screens, and a number of other things are major distractions. The issues we discuss here on Free Republic were never mentioned, however I did hear, "the way of the world."
2. The fulll immersion baptism that our denomination practices comes only when the congregant publicly professes his faith in Jesus. Ir is a rebirth. We do not do infant baptism.
2. The fulll immersion baptism that our denomination practices comes only when the congregant publicly professes his faith in Jesus. Ir is a rebirth. We do not do infant baptism.
A creed tells why you believe that. Many very capable theologians and scholars have studied and debated this doctrine over the ages and come down on the other side. Why is this the correct view, and many very capable Protestant and Roman Catholic scholars wrong? (It's not my intent to introduce a debate about specific doctrines here, baptism is just an example).
St. Peter said to always have a reason for the hope that is within you. The Bible takes too long to read, and it's simpler just to have a summary of the verses stating why you believe that in creedal form. It's like having a map. Maps are easier to read than studying the surface of the earth directly.
Incidently, there is far more Bible in the Heidelberg Catechism (and probably the Augsburg Confession used by Lutherans) than there is in the creedal text itself, whcih is really just an organization of Scripture. And to despise this is to despise the work of the Holy Spirit working throughout history.
By rejecting creeds, these pastors do their flock a great disservice, imho.
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