Came across this article about a study indicating that Americans really do like their megachurches.
Why? “Corcoran attributes the rise in megachurches to charismatic pastors, optimistic messages and activities for every interest.”
Let’s think about this organizationally:
- Does “charismatic pastors” mean the church’s survival depends on the pastor staying in place? If so, it’s time for the pastor to help church members focus on the institution, not the leader, so it becomes a lasting entity.
- Do “optimistic messages” mean pastors make it easy for church members to dodge responsibility? The flip side is those kinds of messages help church members stay motivated in doing service projects and staying course in their faith journeys. I’ve been involved in lots of service projects, and it’s hard to keep volunteers motivated to commit for the long term. If optimistic messages keep the message of hope in front of people, that may help them keep pushing forward.
- Do “activities for every interest” foster a consumer mindset? Perhaps. On the other hand, people to gather according to interests so they can exchange ideas.
I’ve been in large, established churches and in startup churches and churches in between (including dying churches).
