Large Modern Churches

[Smalcald]

We have recently moved to a large city in Texas. We have lived most of our lives in a small rural New England town. The Church we attended there was conservative theologically, small, and traditional in the sense that we would never have electronic stuff in the worship area, only the traditional hard wooden pews (no pads), and so forth.

I am having a hard time here in that our denomination here is really different, theologically it is the same, but its basically a mega-church, its got like 5000 people attending every week (we had about 125 at home) padded comfortable pews, the pastors (there are I think 5) have got one of those little headphone things on and is also projected on two screens. But its also packed unlike our old church.

Okay my problem is I don't like it. I am trying to figure out if it is just a style issue with me being an old fashioned and not liking modern styles or is it a pride issue with me? Maybe I liked being small so I stood out more? The rest of my family likes it, so this does not help me very much.

What do people think of really large Churches?

[other one]

We attend a small church, for I like that we get to know all the people better. Huge churches have their good points, but my wife and I like the smaller atmosphere and the people who seem closer than large church crowds. That's just my opinion, and a lot of people are different. They like the things a large church can afford that we can't.

[JohnD]

Went from Chisholm Valley Baptist Church in Round Rock Texas (in 1989 mind you before RR grew to many times its size then) about 120-150 people to Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego which at one time was on four campuses. Each Sunday two pastors gave sermons and drove like mad to the next campus to preach there. One was a Church they built in Rancho Santa Fe (swankytown) the rest were in old school campuses they leased from the State full time (the entire campus Monday through Sunday where they had a Christian charter school during the week and adult classes at night), I'm guessing some 10 to 18 thousand members. It was affiliated with Calvary Chapels which as a non denominational Church became one of the biggest denominations in the world. Do a map search of the Calvary Chapels if you are curious. The Vineyard church used to be affiliated with them until the laughing in the spirit thing broke out and Pastor Chuck Smith asked John Wimber to stop claiming to be Calvary Chapels...

In other words it was quite the drastic change. But we adapted. I miss those old days when we started fresh in California... I chose to leave the SBC because it dithered on the Freemason issue (because too many higher ups in the convention were high up in Masonry) and the nude model issue at Baylor (which the SBC caved in on). Hmph... such trivial things to quibble about compared to the goings on today...

Horizon was a fresh new start. We went to the Rock Church in San Diego (which branched out from Horizon Christian Fellowship) for about ten years before leaving California.

Edited July 15, 2011 by JohnDB

[ayin jade]

It could be a style thing. I happen to like large megachurches, but then I like being anonymous in a church. I do not like to be singled out for anything, which has happened far too much to me in small churches.

[~candice~]

My issue with mega churches is exactly this. I don't believe we are supposed to be anonymous in church. We are to engage with the local body of believers, not attend and be a wall flower. Most large churches have smaller groups you can go to in order to form relationships etc, which is even harder in a large church. But anyway... I think this speaks to the purpose of attending a church service... and people have a variety of opinions here. It's not to get our names ticked off, and it's not just to socialise... there is a balance here that says "I'm here because I'm participating in corporate learning and worship and fellowship, and to encourage others". Sorry to post and run I'm at a conference and don't have much time.

[Littlelambseativy]

I must admit that I like the smaller church. You know everyone, and they know you. The larger church has too much 'stuff' that takes away from the worship. We have an organ, a baby grand, and a screen. We do have young people who play instruments - so does the minister. But it is traditional and not loud.

[JohnD]

The mega churches I mentioned above had home fellowship networking.

If you were anonymous in them it is only because you wanted to be.

And I do know that people's well-meaning friendliness in Church can be received as smothering and shoving the women to the nursery and the men to the ushering... or (dare I say it) a lot of busy bodying (which the Apostle Paul was pretty harsh on. Small churches have their worth especially in accountability but God's looking over our shoulders 24 / 7 and if we haven't figured out that matters more than our reputation in a small church then...

[JohnD]

Dr. Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, TX

preaching at Harvest Fellowship Church (Pastor Greg Laurie) Riverside, CA

*youtube video removed*

We attended Prestonwood in 1998 when we lived in Ft. Worth for a year.

Dr. Graham's Church was in Dallas back then and held three services every Sunday morning (a mad house of people coming and going all morning long).

When we stayed in town we attended a then very small Calvary Chapel Ft. Worth... one guitar player / singer led the praise and worship (small enough)?

*No youtube links please, thanks Isaiah*

Edited July 15, 2011 by Isaiah 6:8
Youtube

[oak]

It doesn’t matter how big or small your Church is because what matters is the strength of faith in your Church. I for most part have an aversion to TV evangelists. But, Jonathan Cahn who is despised and degraded in NY (his mission is in NJ) is the first Jewish turned Christian who keeps me captivated. He is someone worth listening to. Tell, me what you think.

Oak

*youtube link removed*

Isaiah

[methinkshe]

We have recently moved to a large city in Texas. We have lived most of our lives in a small rural New England town. The Church we attended there was conservative theologically, small, and traditional in the sense that we would never have electronic stuff in the worship area, only the traditional hard wooden pews (no pads), and so forth.

I am having a hard time here in that our denomination here is really different, theologically it is the same, but its basically a mega-church, its got like 5000 people attending every week (we had about 125 at home) padded comfortable pews, the pastors (there are I think 5) have got one of those little headphone things on and is also projected on two screens. But its also packed unlike our old church.

Okay my problem is I don't like it. I am trying to figure out if it is just a style issue with me being an old fashioned and not liking modern styles or is it a pride issue with me? Maybe I liked being small so I stood out more? The rest of my family likes it, so this does not help me very much.

What do people think of really large Churches?

I recently discussed this issue in relation to a very dear Christian friend of mine. Like me she was brought up in a Christian family but rejected her faith in her late teens and married an unbeliever. They had two children before the marriage ended in divorce. She later came back to the Lord and joined a very large church. For many years she struggled to bring up her children as a single mother and her cry to God was that she could meet and marry a Christian man. Eventually, when her children were 11 and 13, she married a newly converted man from her church. Her father, a lay preacher in a different church, counselled her not to marry him as he suspected his conversion was not real. But she went ahead and married him anyway although her father refused to attend the wedding.

To cut a long story short, following a failed business venture, my friend's new husband blamed God and turned his back on God and became a rabid atheist; over the next ten years he made my friend's life, and that of her children, utter misery. He had no intention of separating from her since he had moved into the house which she had bought and paid for through her hard work while a single mother and he knew when he was on to a good thing. So he just mocked her, treated her horribly and did everything he could to undermine her faith. After the failed business venture he never worked again - he just lived off his wife's earnings, so she ended up working even harder as she now had another mouth to feed, and he was a terrible spendthrift - of her money. Even when she was dying of cancer his behaviour towards her was unkind in the extreme. I travelled 200 miles to attend her funeral and was saddened and shocked by this man's heartlessness - I can only say that he seemed glad to be rid of his wife and inherit her property (at least, a half share, as the law provides). She is now in a better place - at home with her Father in heaven.

So where do large churches come into this?

It seems to me that one of the jobs of a Pastor is to guard the sheep from wolves in sheep's clothing. This "wolf" that married my friend, sneaked into the congregation and, because it was so large and there was an insufficiency of mature Christians in sub-pastoral roles, he went undetected and was able to ensnare one of the sheep (my friend) in a way that would not have occurred had he been exposed as the wolf in sheep's clothing that he was. It was sad that my friend did not listen to her father in the matter as he had him sussed out from the beginning. But because her church accepted this man, and because she so desired a husband, she did not listen to her father.

It seems to me that this scenario is more likely to occur in a large church where it is impossible for the Pastor to know every member of his congregation. This is especially the case when immature Christians are appointed to leadership positions and delegated pastoral care of housegroups, for instance, where otherwise it might be possible to discern any wolves that have crept into the flock. My friend's husband was actually a house group leader before he showed his true colours. I suppose one could argue that the problem was not the size of the church but the appointment of immature Christians (or unproved, self-claimed Christians) to eldership positions, and I couldn't disagree. But I think this is more likely to happen in large churches where much delegation of pastoral responsibility and care is required.

Anyway, I don't know whether this in any way addresses your dis-ease with large churches; I offer it only as one perspective. And my experience may be an exception rather than the rule, but it has made me wary of large churches.