Is the “Mega-Church” bad for business; the church business that is? What does a Mega Church do today in addition to increasing their membership and/or faith conversion numbers? While many might feel that faith conversion and membership should be the number one goal of any church, I suggest that they would be mistaken.
First, let me remind us all what the apostle Paul writes in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians; “But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD.” Therefore, as a Christian and follower of Christ, I am really not interested in how many members or conversions your church boasts about.
Let me tell you who is most is concerned about such things; those who look at the financial gain. I’m not referring solely to those that are in the church business to enhance their personal power and financial security. I would also point to those church members and administrators that are charged with handling the finances of the church. There may be others, but I’m confident I can count primarily on these two groups.
No. Don’t look for me to name names, televangelists, and churches. That’s not the point. What I posit here is that I believe that “Mega Churches” in the end, will do more harm than good. I truly find them to be insincere. They talk a lot about sharing the Word of God, and that’s all good. But as a Christian; a follower of Jesus, a student of the Bible, and in ministry, I believe there is much more to the purpose of the “church,” than spreading the Word.
I’m sure my previous comment will ruffle feathers. The bible itself, however, tells us that there is much more to being a Christian than spreading the Word. Mathew relays to us in the great commission, the words of Jesus, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you…” (Mat 28:19, NASB)
Jesus here did not say, “Go spread the Word,” He said, “make disciples.” We also learn in the bible, that we are not to make disciples for ourselves, but rather we are to make disciple of the Lord. The apostle Paul writes in 1st Corinthians, “Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” (1 Cor 1:12, NASB)
Paul continued in verse 13, “Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Therefore, as I enter the ministry and even continue my ministry education, the last thing I see of any importance is, “how many people follow me, Clayton Moore.”
Do I want people to read my writing? Do I want people to read my blog articles and my sermons? Yes. Absolutely. More importantly, however, I want simply to make a positive, Christian impact in people’s lives. I want to help people walk with God every single day, not just on Sundays, and doing this helps me to walk with God every day.
It’s easy to attend a church service every Sunday morning. It’s not so easy walking with God every day. Obviously, I’m not saying it can’t be done. I am saying that there are many obstacles in our path; for we are little different than the believers in the early church. Obstacles have cluttered our paths for over 2,000 years. I would like to spend some time not only helping other people overcome those obstacles myself as well.
As I continue in my endeavor, I believe I am following in the footsteps of a number of New Testament authors and other well-known biblical characters. Most notably, the apostle Paul did not proclaim the Word of God and then walk away to the next town. I have over the years, observed that this is normal for many televangelists.
I seriously wonder just how many members a Mega Church pastor knows among his or her own congregation. Is this the “personal experience” and “personal engagement” that will bring the “unchurched” or the “non-believer” to Christ? It might.
However, I sense that people are searching more for a place where they are actually relevant and not just seen as a source of tithing and income. Of the probable millions of dollars that are raised annually by Mega Churches and televangelist, I am curious to know how much of it actually produces an “individual relationship” with Christ. I want to know how much of it is making a positive Christian impact in the everyday lives of those in our communities.
How big, I wonder, must a church get before it become “impersonal?” It seems to me that a “physical” church would be concerned about becoming too big to be personal and impactful in its members’ daily lives.
©2016 Clayton Moore
mooreofclayton.com 