What’s interesting to see here is how many more comments you’ve single-handedly than the megachurch myths blog at http://lnbooks.typepad.com/beyond_megachurch_myths/

You beat me to the punch about mega-churches having the resources to do ‘everything in excellence’ as Jim states. I wonder if Mother Theresa knew that she was doing it all wrong and apparently not in excellence. You know, living in poverty and all.

I have to go back to another parable.

Luke 21:
1 While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. 3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

-mike

I think it is important to note that there aught not be a conflict between small vs. large church. The reality is that God has a calling for each church, both big and small. God needs both types of churches. Some people do not feel comfortable in large churches, and some do not feel comfortable in small churches. Growth, though, is vital. Making disciples is the church’s calling. There should be growth!

Naturally, some churches will be limited by circumstances in their growth. My dad’s first church was land locked and had a small worship center. Yet, in spite of that, he did what he could and the church grew from 20 to 250 over ten years. Was 250 our ceiling though? Perhaps, but the key with this church was that it was located in a very transient part of the country and our impact was on hundreds of people over the years, who would come only for a couple years before moving to other parts of the country. My dad’s ministries impact was in discipling people for the time they were with us, and then sending them out to make an impact across the country. The impact this church had was grander, numerically, than the surface revealed. Small churches can have mega impact.

Numbers are important. Reading the book of Acts, it seems odd behavior for the disciples to record that “3,000″ were saved today if numbers didn’t matter. The reality is that numbers do matter because of the people those numbers represent. Megachurches are accused of turning people into a number, I say they value the number because of what that number represents: saved people. That doesn’t mean that mega churches cannot become distracted by attendance. But lets not throw the baby out with the bath-water. Megachurches potential pitfalls does not invalidate the massive, numerical impact they have on society and the culture.

Large and small churches must work together to accomplish the goal of making disciples for Christ. Small churches must find and fill their nitch. Large churches must do the same, but at the same time, use their greater financial leverage to help initiate kingdom advancing missions by providing opportunities to the entire kingdom of God that would be inconceivable to a smaller organization.

God bless.

i personally think that it’s a problem when we (as a church) enter into worship trying “give” God something. This states that God doesn’t have enough already. We need to approach the presence of God with empty arms and allow him to satisfy our hearts with His glory.

We don’t need to give more…we need to receive more.

Your statement implies that churches that don’t have the “resources” as your 18K attendance church has have less to give God. I don’t want to serve a God that desires me to have enough to give.

We enter dangerous territory when we look to “give God what He deserves” in worship and not look to receive the grace He graciously extends.

Almost seems like ME-centered worship and not God-centered worship, “what can I give.”

I appreciate your comments. First, please forgive any lack of clarity in my response. I am in a bit of a rush in composing this comment. Going to soon be away from a PC for the next few days….

That being said, remember that Jesus would draw large crowds to Himself, then say difficult things to find Himself with only His twelve… and one of them was a traitor. In the Gospel of John, He comments about the large crowd following Him and states, and I am paraphrasing, that He knows the heart of men and He does not trust them. Remember that Noah did not attract many, Jeramiah (sp?) did not attract any one, that God instructed Gideon to reduce his army from 20,000 (if memory serves) to 300 so that he would not be able to steal credit from God. Numbers is an inadequate benchmark. If a church grows to mega status, but it is compromised in focus, ecclesiology, or theology, then it is unhealthy. Nowhere in biblical canon is a church condemned or approved of for its size or lack thereof. Read about the seven churches in Revelation. The church at Laodecea was a large and wealthy……

One final note… is there sometimes a difference between simply recording numbers as in a narrative vs boasting in numbers? I could ramble ad nausea, but I gotta roll.

Thanks for letting me digress