Megachurches clash with critics next door

Yahoo! (via USA Today) ^ | Mon Sep 23, 7:09 AM ET | Haya El Nasser USA TODAY

[drstevej]

The pictures say it all.
GAME, SET, MATCH to Phil Marlowe

[Larry Lucido]

Ya beat me by 3 minutes! LOL!

[inkling]

There's nothing inherently right or wrong with a church being big, small, or somewhere in between. But to whichever church you belong, just be cool to your neighbors. It's as simple as doing what Christ told us to do. That's all the neighbors are asking.

If you treat the neighbors like garbage, they'll consider you to be frauds. If you treat them with simple respect, they probably won't complain as much. But if you treat them like gold (helping pick up the neighborhood, warning them before huge events, giving them invitations to programs), maybe they'll visit your church and find God. And that would be well-worth the effort.

[RnMomof7]

There are mega churchs and there are mega churches......My preference runs to the tiny...But I have done the mega thing in the past and it does have advantages for families

Marlow how big a district does a temple cover? They seem a bit Mega to me??

Buffalos newest mega...yes they have a donut shop:>)

[Larry Lucido]

But to whichever church you belong, just be cool to your neighbors. It's as simple as doing what Christ told us to do. That's all the neighbors are asking.

Well said. It's not size, it's quality.

[Diddle E. Squat]

I hear your point, and it is definitely something to consider. OTOH, I've been in some wonderful megachurches that do know how to offering small group studies, accountability groups, etc., and yet be able to utilize synergy and economies of scale of funding and talent pools to start many niche ministries. In effect, they have created mini-churches within an umbrella of one big building/congregation.

I do have to ask, should Jesus have limited the amount of loaves and fishes to serving just a few dozen?

[Utah Girl]

No, what I object to is McDonald's on church property, being tax exempt because they are on a church. Those organizations you mentioned that the LDS church owns benefit people. For example, no money exchanges hands at the Bishops storehouse, one must have a list of needs drawn up by his ward's bishop and/or Relief Society president.

The church owned clothing factories? I assume you mean Beehive clothing. The LDS church is extremely careful to make sure that they follow the law in tax exempt situations, any businesses that make a profit (cattle ranches, etc), the LDS church pays taxes on. And they have a separate holding company called Zions Securities. I have a brother who works for ZS.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Ya know, I'd really be impressed if that church had actually rigged up a tide to surround it twice a day.

Maybe I just gave one of those televangelists an idea(of course, they'll do that with their mansions, rather than their church.)

[MissL]

Sorry you take offense...I am a Catholic and have been all of my life...attended Catholic schools through college and grad school. Washburn Law after all of that. I do not object to Christians attending Church...only to a Minister who cannot "minister" to a large "flock. Sorry you missed the point of my original post. I have no need to argue with you.

[Licensed-To-Carry]

Prestonwood Baptist Church, in Plano, Texas, near Dallas, has 15 ball fields, a '50s-style diner and a fitness center. It soon will add a coffee shop and a food court.

I'm proud to say that this is my church. We bought over 100 acres about 4 years ago to build a new facility in west Plano. This was nothing but a cow pasture then but now the suburbs have grown up around us. We now have 20,000 members and something must be very good about this church because it just keeps getting bigger.

Personally, I think the Holy Spirit is blessing this Bible Believing church because of all of the many outreach services we do in the community and the nation, as well as preaching the true Word of Salvation through Jesus Christ.

After Sept. 11 in just one weekend service we collected over $100,000 for the churches of New York City that were damaged. We have a pregnancy help center that provides for young women who choose not to have an abortion but give the child up for adoption. There is a large Christian school at Prestonwood with an enrollment of over 1,000 students.

The tithes that are given go to fund local services, provide scholorships to families that can't afford private school tuition, we sponsor missionaries worldwide, and we also help the poor. Somehow I don't think that Jesus would consider our Church like the "moneychangers in the temple". Man does not live by bread alone.

You always hear about how churches are dying out, and I believe that is true about the "liberal, everybody can get to heaven in their own way" churches. Prestonwood Baptist preaches that the only way to Heaven is through Jesus Christ, as in John 14:6. Right is right and wrong is wrong and that's how it is.

If anyone is ever in the Dallas area, please make it a point to visit Prestonwood. You'll be glad you did.

[Utah Girl]

Why don't you ask an LDS person how big a temple district is? It all depends upon the size of the temple, and how many active LDS members there are, how many attend the temple on a regular basis, etc. I live in Utah valley, there are two temples here, one in Provo and one in American Fork (about 20 minutes apart.) But the valley predominantly LDS.

I know there has been a lot of flak in the news by neighbors who protest against having LDS temples put in their neighborhoods, a lot of untrue stories floating around, and yet after the temple is built and dedicated, the neighbors tend to appreciate the temple. Not to get secular here, but we do take excellent care of the temples and its grounds, they are the House of the Lord. People are afraid of cars coming and going, but the traffic is spaced out over a day's time.

[drstevej]

***only to a Minister who cannot "minister" to a large "flock. ***

Why A minister. Larger churches have larger ministerial staffs both to minister to the flock AND to equip members to minister to each other.

Ephesians 4:11-13
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

[restornu]

That Temple is breath taking I feel very uplifted- Thank you!

[Larry Lucido]

I've only seen Prestonwood from the outside, but it is a beautiful campus. I'm in Michigan now, so it may be a while before I can visit again.

[wardaddy]

Amen Illbay.....amazing.....I'm agreeing with you more than I know I should these days...lol

[drstevej]

[restornu]

That is a temple not at church, which took 40 years to build and had shafts waiting for the day they invented elevators nothing like vision!

[MissL]

Whatever, "floats your boat".....It just does not "float" mine. It is a big world and there is room for everyone...guess a bit of tolerance is needed. Personally I don't care, if it makes you happy...GREAT !!! We all live our own lives.

[inkling]

The only reason LDS temples were brought up on this thread was because another Mormon saw fit to mock the "great and spacious building" housing an evangelical church. A comment that you seemed to appreciate.

No use complaining about Mormon-bashing, when another Mormon started the fight.