Megachurch

The interior of Rev. Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral illustrates the stage lighting, space, audio, and seating facilities often found in a megachurch.

A megachurch is a large church, having around 2,000 or more worshippers for a typical weekly service.

Globally, these large congregations are a significant development in Protestant Christianity, challenging the roles of denominations as the primary sources of ministry resources and ministerial training. Most megachurches tend to be evangelical or Pentecostal.

History

Although there have been large churches throughout history (for example, in the late 1800s, Charles Spurgeon's Baptist Metropolitan Tabernacle in London attracted 5,000 weekly for years and religious broadcaster Aimee Semple McPherson's Angelus Temple in Los Angeles was similarly large), the widespread megachurch movement, with a large number of local congregants who return on a weekly basis, began in the 1950s.

Denominational links

Within the United States, more than half of these large church institutions are non-denominational churches; those that have ties to a larger body are most often members of the Southern Baptist denomination, which accounts for perhaps one in five megachurches. In the Independent Baptist movement, started by the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. The Assemblies of God claim approximately one in ten. Another one-tenth of the churches with congregations large enough to be included in the class are associated with historically African American denominations. Denominational megachurches generally have more in common with other megachurches than they do with smaller churches within their own denomination. Megachurches affiliated with the seeker movement often do not include their denomination in their name or otherwise publicize their affiliation; the most common reason given for such is that they do not wish to "alienate" potential visitors who may have perceived biases against a certain denomination.

File:CityHarvestChurch.jpg

The City Harvest Church, Singapore's massive building cost S$48 million (US$26.6 million). It is the first titanium-clad building in Asia and is modeled after the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Special limestone for part of the building was imported from Europe.

The exception to this rule is found in church movements begun by megachurches, like City Harvest Church,Christian City Churches or Hillsong Church. Churches in these movements tend to fit the megachurch classification while remaining very similar to other churches in the movement, maintaining a similar appearance, logo, worship style and vision.

Adjustments to cater for size

Coping with the large numbers of people who attend them requires many adjustments.

Worship in some megachurches tends to be formal in practice, though untraditional in tone. Because megachurches command resources that smaller churches cannot, they typically hire professional musicians who perform modern, upbeat praise music in a number of pop styles instead of traditional hymns. Despite the contemporary music, worship at a megachurch is a highly structured occasion. Some worshipers like the feeling of hundreds or even thousands of people worshiping together. In some, the worshipers are more an audience than they are participants, and the entire production is typically choreographed in minute detail.

The immense architecture of the megachurch requires that the entire congregation can see and hear. Large open spaces allow line of sight to elaborate video presentations and projections. To overcome the limits of acoustics, sound is amplified, with large PA systems and mixing desks. Words to hymns and songs are projected on screens, reducing reliance on the hymnals found in the pews of more traditional churches. Many newer churches use theater-style individual chairs instead of pews.

The need for large parking lots to accommodate worshippers has often led these churches to be located on the outskirts of large cities, on tracts encompassing multiple acres (4,000 m²). A recent trend is for a megachurch to have one or more "satellite" locations away from the main church, which will have a small local staff. However, the main message is presented by the senior pastor via video presentation. This is referred to as the multi-site movement.

The ministry of these churches must also be adjusted for size. Much of the actual teaching work of the church is handled by committees and smaller meetings outside the weekly services themselves, which are almost exclusively meant for collective (sometimes enthusiastic) but passive worship. Congregational oversight is generally limited to an annual meeting (where a budget and "board of directors" is approved); in some cases, the senior pastor has complete authority over all decisions.

Many were launched by a single gifted pastor, a person who combines flamboyant sermons with the organisational skills needed to turn weekly worship into a production number. Some of the churches have grown using the Cell church principle developed by David Yonggi Cho. There is sometimes an element of a cult of personality within some of these megachurches, which can lead to divisions and organisational difficulties when the founder retires, dies, or in some cases resigns under clouds of suspicion. Some megachurches have been able to weather these difficulties (Lakewood Church survived the death of its founder); others have failed (when Robert Tilton left under cloud of suspicion, his church folded shortly thereafter).

Criticism

See also: McChurch

Critics of megachurches claim that such churches are more concerned with entertainment than religion , earning them the nickname "Disney Church". Rev. Al Sharpton has claimed that such churches focus on morality issues while ignoring social justice.

Great efforts are made not to alienate those in the audience or injure the self-esteem of anyone. The messages are normally upbeat, focusing on the positive. However, much time is spent opposing abortion, homosexual marriage, multilateral foreign policy, and other liberal stances. Particular concerns have been expressed about megachurches including the Crystal Cathedral, Willow Creek, Saddleback Church, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Fellowship Church, and others.

An illustration of the divergence from evangelicalism and pentecostalism that occurred recently was the failure of a number of US megachurches to hold worship services on Christmas Day in 2005 where it fell on a Sunday. However, many of these churches preferred to hold a service on Christmas Eve, as they discovered that it was more convenient for the people as they were able to spend Christmas Day celebrating with their family and friends.

Critics have raised issues with the application of secular business models , e.g., from Walmart, a humanist or seeker-friendly approach, intensive market research and heavy reliance upon opinion polls, polished advertising targeted at affluent young professionals, unconventional worship styles, and Eastern influences.

Another controversy that has arisen is concern from some communities about providing tax-exempt status to large churches locating on high-value land (especially near freeway exits). Some communities have reacted by abolishing property tax-exemptions from them to help pay for providing city services (such as emergency services).

Another criticism falls along cultural lines, including the fact that many megachurches are located in the United States. For example, in a December 2005 issue of The Economist, a British reporter who visited Willow Creek church suggested that megachurches reflected U.S. trends Europeans consider negative, such as urban sprawl and the proliferation of McMansions.

See also

• List of megachurches