Thursday, July 28, 2005
mega churches vs small churches

hey! came across this entry in timyao's blog. very interesting. :D

First point of contention - "Megachurches attract transfer growth from smaller churches because of Christians who are looking for better production and technical excellence"

I initially responded with the question of whether a large church could really help the fact that it attracts so many visitors who are keen on experiencing technical and musical excellence... then it hit me. If megachurches are REALLY attracting Christians who come simply because of the musical/technical excellence and atmosphere/hype/"entertainment factor", what sort of Christians are hence being cultivated in such churches?

The answer is two-fold; you are either producing a group of christians who rely on slick production to experience a spiritual encounter or you are producing a group of christians who are being discipled to live a fulfilling and generous spiritual life regardless of their environment. And to me, without specifically pointing fingers or naming names, there are megachurches that will undoubtedly cater to either group of Christians. Obviously all churches want to gravitate towards the second group BUT not all churches have the same foresight, same vision or same leadership in place to ensure this happens.

To me, at CityLife, it's too soon to tell what sort of fruit these transfer growth "converts" will produce and hence too soon to answer the question - but my gut feeling is that at CityLife, transfer Christians are immediately exposed to vibrant, Word-based teaching and discipling and an atmosphere that is, by and large, full of the Spirit. It would surprise me therefore if they ended up withering and dying away rather than becoming fruitful, solid and steadfast members of CityLife Church.

Having said that of course I do not pretend to ignore the flaws of a large church. There is an unspoken philosophy here that not everyone is suited to the megachurch and that there is definetely a place for smaller churches and Christians who feel comfortable in smaller churches. And if I were to be brutally honest; I'd sincerely prefer it if a church could get rid of Christians who were attracted to it simply for its "technical excellence" or its ability to keep its services to a strict one and a half hour format. That, to me, is not the point of church and all churches - large and small - would do well to remember that.


Second Point of Contention - "Megachurches have all the resources; what relevance does the smaller church have to the wider community?"

I don't believe that every church is destined to either become a megachurch or die away. If that is the case, then Andrew is right and the Church in Australia WILL fade away and die. However, I think there is a specific place for the church that is small enough to retain the feeling of family and yet large enough to impact the specific community in which it is placed in. Smaller churches have several advantages over larger churches; firstly there is the sense of community and unity in vibrant small churches that is hard to replicate in a large church. The feeling of family, where the Senior Pastor knows everyone by name and where newcomers and visitors are looked after and treated as though they are one of the family - that is particularly unique to a small church. Secondly, there is the sense of everyone having to pull their own weight to serve in a small church and make it function; there is little room for people to slink in and be bystanders and watchers, unlike large churches where often 20-30% of the congregation do the work and the other 70-80% do not get actively involved. Thirdly, it is far easier to disciple Christians and maintain one on one relational contact with new converts and potential Christians; there is greater emphasis on "quality time" and less on "quantity".

Likewise megachurches have certain advantages over smaller churches which have been well-documented elsewhere. My main point is that there are roles for the smaller church to contribute to the establishment of the Church in Australia; perhaps more so than the megachurch? Again that remains to be seen. Undoubtedly though, it would be one of the great tragedies of the Church if we allow the concept and structure of the smaller church to die away.


Third Point of Contention - "Growth is not a quantifiable indicator of the health of a church"

Now, some of you will disagree BUT I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. I know our Cell Pastor (dear Daljit, God bless his Punjabi soul) talks about "quantity being an indicator of quality" but I must confess to never having being a great fan of the idea that an abundance of fruit in one place must always mean that such fruit from that place are all healthy, wealthy and wise. Andrew makes wonderful statements that "by and large the church has forgotten about missional growth (i.e. new converts) and many are talking of growth in their churches as if it is meaningful when it is just superficial growth" and that "numbers alone to me have become meaningless unless the stories behind them are told". I worry that in this day and age, results and numbers have become so important that we forget about the people who make up these numbers. A church should not be judged on how healthy or not healthy it is by its sheer size or lack thereof; influence and impact in the community should NOT be limited to the church that is large in number. Who's to say that smaller churches cannot have exactly the same impact?

All it takes are visionary leaders, and a congregration that is missional in aim and deed. I pray for the day when churches all over Australia can boast of having such people within their congregation, and of having such leaders guiding the future of this great Church in our nation.

In conclusion, the megachurch versus small church debate is one that will never go away as long as you have small pastors who feel ripped off by large churches "poaching" their sheep, and of large churches who feed the small-minded religious consumeristic attitudes. If Church as we know it ever becomes a spiritual shopping place and entertainment centre, it's time to press the panic button. Thankfully that's not happening at CityLife Church and i know that for most other large churches in Australia, that's not the case either. We are committed to seeing a God-breathed movement of churches influence and revolutionise our nation; and only the power of the Holy Spirit can inspire ordinary people like you and me to take radical steps to seeing revival in our land.

The smaller church model is instrumental in seeing that happen, as is the megachurch model. In the end, ending this debate will require the right amount of ethical procedure and diplomacy, and maybe even forgiveness to be extended from and to both sides of the argument! The Church cannot afford to be splintering constantly from within as well as from the outside. Forgiveness, tolerance, co-operation and the Holy Spirit... Holy Spirit... Holy Spirit - these are the words that hopefully will become flashwords in the reconciliation of this issue.

janice fishing at 6:21 PM
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