Christianity and the Mega Church: Soul Winning or Competitive Business

By Elizabeth Robinson

To evaluate the validity of the megachurch as we know it, this book will focus on the ability of the megachurch here in America to win souls for Christ or whether its function serves as a big business in our society under the auspices of church.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098007232

Book preview

Chapter 1

Background of the Study

Many studies of the mega chuch have occurred in the past several years, and many Christians are still interested in the significance of the mega chuch. However, size alone is an insufficient characterization of this distinctive religious reality. The interest of Christians take several forms. This research will cover a few of them. One, Christians want to know how these megachurches affect their traditional beliefs. Two, do megachurches keep the church that Jesus built in their formats? And three, how does money fit into the mega chuch? There are megachurches in virtually every state, sometimes more than one in every city. These churches are Protestant in nature, and a great deal of them are nondenominational. The research indicates that they prefer to function as such. In fact, many megachurches do not have the word church in their names. They use names such as outreach , ministry , or center to distinguish themselves apart from the mainstream denominational church. The research shows they draw younger congregants who do not ordinarily commit to membership, although they have religionist beliefs. On the other hand, the mainstream denominational church calls for commitment or membership.

That said, the pace at which the mega chuch has grown is phenomenal. Therefore, with the interest and the institutionalization of these churches, the question has to be asked, are these churches winning souls for Christ or in competition with big businesses? Among the many hundreds of megachurches all over the country, their growth is still going on at large rate. The research indicates that this growth appears to be due to the excitement of the programs offered by these churches. The nightclub atmosphere, the large bands, the dancers, and the scenery tend to pull in younger crowd. The average age of a mega chuch worshipper is approximately forty years old. The average age of the traditional or denominational church worshipper is still at approximately fifty-five. A mega chuch worshipper tends not only to be younger, but also more diverse. Many have joined megachurches for the social aspects of the many programs within their ministry. Many have realized that being a part of the biggest mega chuch carries some prestige. However, what are these churches doing to bring souls to Christ? Is money and competition their major goal?

The popularity of the mega chuch brings thousands of people together weekly. Some come to worship; others come to be a part of the crowd. There are all kinds of books, CDs, DVDs, jewelry, and charm necklaces and bracelets sold at these gatherings. These churches sell the items 24-7, just like a department store. The only difference is they don’t pay taxes or call this a department store. They call it a ministry. In addition, the research notes that the tithes and offerings, along with the sales of the various items, constitute a large income for the weekly meetings and appears to be a big priority in t these meetings. The research indicates that the stakeholders in most megachurches are the pastors and the ministry officials. One would have to ask where Jesus is in these weekly meetings. Are souls being won or is the money the main interest?

The researcher’s perspective is one of a fundamental assumption that the purpose of the church Jesus built is viewed as a soul-wining process for the kingdom of God. After all, it is the primary reason for the coming of Jesus. The goal should be enlightening the congregation of the teaching and principles of Jesus with emphasis on what it will take to be a citizen in the kingdom of God. There should be no emphasis put directly on the tithes, the offerings, the books, etc., at the weekly meetings, yet these are marketing interest in the mega chuch. There appears to be some unbalance in these churches and in their process of the original intent of the church Jesus built.

A generalized investigation of megachurches shows a distinctive set of common characteristics. Obviously, size is the most evident attribute of these churches. However, the list of shared traits is much more extensive. There is a discernable general pattern to the way in which religion is organized and run across these large congregations. Within this generalized picture, three distinctive subgroups or ways of disseminating the mega chuch message can be identified, described below as the nontraditional, the conventional, and the composite. As with all general descriptions of social phenomena, any single mega chuch will vary in its embodiment of this full set of characteristics. Nevertheless, these congregations have too much in common not to be seen as a distinctive social and religious reality.

According to the CNN article, megachurches can accommodate upwards of 15,000 people and are common among members of the evangelical Christian faith.¹ The research bears this out. Many ministers in the evangelical faith have become superstars in their own right. These ministers are well known due to their exposure on worldwide television and radio ministries, not to mention their books, CDs, and DVD sales.²

The researcher’s view is that most of these superstar ministers hardly know the regular members of their respective congregations, notwithstanding their name or families they represent within the church. One would have to be a part of the production, the minister’s inner circle, or their family for the leader to know who they are. Some are part of the membership, some are not. These churches strive to pull in the local professionals as partners, making it hard to win souls versus competing for the large attendance and the almighty dollar.

The research shows that the marketing machine of the mega chuch is as extreme as any major corporation. There is a commercial in the beginning, middle, and end of televised services. Television and radio spots or advertisements are weaved right into the televised or radio services, leaving very little time for the message, making one ask how much time is dedicated to winning souls for Jesus. After all, Jesus is supposed to be the reason for the service and yet He gets the least of the time. Even if the time is equal the excitement of the service tends to lean more to the commercials prepared for the services. Therefore, the question still remains, where does Jesus fit