Posted on 07/20/2008 7:26:45 PM PDT by MplsSteve
The 23rd Psalm rolled off the Rev. Jason Strand's tongue with soothing familiarity, the way it had since he memorized it as a boy.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters ..."
But up on the 16-by-24-foot screens flanking Strand, the PowerPoint version displayed the updated words "quiet waters" instead of the "still waters" of Strand's memory.
Amy Anderson noticed the problem instantly. She began scribbling notes in her three-ring binder, then flipped to a new page to catch up with what Strand was doing next, watching every word.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
I found this article to be fascinating reading and just about lacking in any bias against evengelical churches. The reporter pretty much called it as he saw it.
Comments or opinions (about the article or mega-churches in general_ - anyone?
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I’ve come to the conclusion that when a church begins being run as a business (which is what the reporter described behind the scenes), the church has gotten too big. Properly led, a church is mostly full of Christians who know the Lord and whose elders do not “manage” the worship “experience”. Right preaching of the Word and corporate singing praise to the Lord can and should be normal without submitting to a manager.
A pox on elders who try to manage God’s people.
Ping to read later
"Our goal is that everything has a purpose," Anderson said. "We want the worship service to be vertical, not horizontal. Meaning we want people's eyes on the platform."
That doesn't sound right.
AmChurch is all about being entertained anyway.
Don’t even get me started on megachurches.
Seriously, speak your mind!
That’s why I posted this - to get some input.
As I see it, there’s not a right or wrong answer.
You should put an alert in the heading - Warning! Red Star article. You can’t trust they even got the religion right. Could be a mosque for all we know.
Sigh.
IOW, the congregation comes awfully close to hearing the Word of God at this church.
Comments or opinions (about the article or mega-churches in general_ - anyone?
1)Pure preaching of the gospel, 2)right administration of the sacraments, and 3) exercise of church discipline.
How well does this church (or any church) meet these criteria?
“At last count, Eagle Brook was the 58th largest church in the country. The list is dominated by a handful of immense churches — Lakewood in Texas is No. 1 with more than 47,000 members.”
That’s not a church. That’s a town.
I loved this adage from a recent devotion
If we tone down Christ’s drastic demands, we aren’t following him. Many churches are no more than inoculation clinics. People go there to receive weekly vaccinations so they won’t come down with the real thing.
Are there any reports on the percentage of contributions to mega-churches vs. smaller churches that make it back into the community? I would be interested to see if the mega-church is more efficient at managing expenses and therefore able to give more back to worthy causes.
Small groups.
Comments or opinions (about the article or mega-churches in general_ - anyone?
Just a general comment. Most of what I see on their (annoying -- turn off the music, please!) website fits a pattern.
Willow Creek wannabe in the cold white north, right down to the leadership conference and the Eagle Brook Association.
Then the Metroplex is in trouble...
We're all about people?
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