The Hartford Institute for Religious Research defines a Megachurch as any Protestant Christian church having 2,000 or more people in average weekly attendance. The Megachurch movement expanded rapidly in the United States through the 1980’s-1990’s. Today, there are more than 1,000 megachurches in the United States. They also exist in other countries. Most are found in the suburbs of large cities.
Megachurches are built on the dynamic relationship between the pastor and the members. The senior pastor is usually a man with great personal charisma. Members are drawn to his charm and personality. While the pastor is the drawing power, few members get to spend any significant time with him. In the Megachurch model, senior pastors are usually supported by teams of associate pastors and fulltime staff.
The worship services of a Megachurch can be likened to a rock concert. The stage, contemporary music, strobe lights, fog machine, beautiful and wealthy people dressed to impress, big smiles, big hugs, coffee shops, and gift shops are all combined to entice visitors to return with open pocketbooks.
One has written of his experience in visiting a megachurch:
When one enters a megachurch, there is usually a feeling that you are entering into an exciting and vibrant community that is glad you are there. Most people come early for the service and gather into a large area, where they enjoy coffee and conversation. It is a time to meet people whom you know and to make new acquaintances. It is a time to congratulate, console, share, inquire, and chat with others.
If you have brought children, they can be taken off to the area where little ones can have fun, be taught, and be cared for by a competent and trusted staff. Then, often, ushers will greet you and take you to the seat of your choice.
The worship service in the megachurch is the central event of the community. It is lively with full participation, including gestures and manifestations of praise. Evangelicals are not shy about expressing their feelings in church, and during the services they express their worship to God and their love of Jesus – both physically and verbally.
Music is an integral part of the service, and is robust and loud. Singing is accompanied by a group of musicians and led by someone who is full-voiced. There is nothing halfhearted about congregational participation!
Those planning megachurch services recognize that variety is indeed the spice of life. Sometimes brief dramatizations might be included, or perhaps PowerPoint visuals or a film clip. A witness from someone who has just returned from a missionary trip in a developing country might be offered, or someone who has recently experienced a conversion might share his or her story.
The growth model of the Megachurch resembles modern marketing strategies. Rick Warren, the well-known pastor and founder of the Saddleback megachurch in Orange County, California, wrote of his experience in planting this congregation in the book “The Purpose Driven Church.” He explains how he canvased the community asking about their most pressing needs. The results helped form the philosophy of their ministry statement. “It became the blueprint for our evangelistic strategy” (Warren 41). In other words, he found out what the majority of people wanted in a church and built the Saddleback church for them.
Those who attend Megachurches will not hear sermons on sin or hell. Neither will they hear deep doctrinal sermons filled with Scripture. Instead, they will hear well-polished pep talks that address their felt needs and scratch their itching ears.
David J. Lupinetti, a former Megachurch member, wrote, “The teachers leading Sunday worship in the mega-Churches I attended seem to rely on an emotional experience over theological conviction. The emphasis on emotionalism through loud music, dimmed lights, and an abundance of illustrations that over-emphasized personal experiences rather than exegetical truths led the philosophy of ministry for the mega-Churches growth.”
The prosperity gospel is often found in Megachurches. This is the false teaching that physical well-being and material riches are always God’s will for the faithful. Salvation through Jesus Christ not only brings deliverance from eternal damnation but also from illness and poverty. If a believer expresses their faith through positive thoughts and donations to the church they will be rewarded with health, wealth, and happiness. Such is the message of preachers like Joel Osteen at the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas.
References:
- hirr.hartsem.edu/megachurch/definition.html
- https://www.franciscanmedia.org/st-anthony-messenger/5-lessons-from-megachurches/
- Rick, Warren. The Purpose Driven Church. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995. 41. Print.