Do we want “to look like a mega church?”
In some of the churches I work in, “mega-church” is a dirty word. It often seems like a pastor struggles for clarity in their role, except they are sure they don’t want to become a mega-church!
I hear church leaders ask this question when they reflect on doing more effective online ministry. “I don’t want to act like a mega-church.”
I hear this when we reflect on the neighborhood around their church. “Isn’t this just market research? Isn’t that seeker-sensitive, mega-church stuff? Our church is for everybody.”
They say this in discussions about flat panel TVs in the sanctuary. “I don’t want to look like a mega-church.”
I think many of us have conflated two things we shouldn’t have. When we think of mega-churches, the specific details we dislike are a certain type of theology, and growing so large the sense of community is undermined. We have robust theological reasons, core values, for why we want to operate differently. However, our opposition to many other things mega-churches do is more superficial. But when we conflate all these details together, and reject them all in one lump, we are throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
I am reminded of the questions missionaries ask when moving to a new culture: what is the gospel, and what is culture? We all have important theological priorities and values. Protect them, live them out, but don’t conflate them with tactics, or superficial things.
In 2023, digital screens are extremely useful. Before digital screens were available, printed bulletins and hymnals were extremely useful. Before literacy was widespread, other techniques were more useful than hymnals. Here’s the thing: these details don’t matter very much, they’re simply pragmatic concerns. The best question to ask is, what is most effective in this community, at this moment in history?
If you’d like to reflect more on how effective use of technology fits with your theological commitments, I would love to consider that with you! Schedule a meeting with me at this link, and let’s think about how to help your local church be faithful to its call.
