Rescuing Christianity From the Megachurch Culture

It is no coincidence that megachurches--those giant enterprises that have dominated the evangelical Christian psyche for 20 years--entered American life not long after the shopping mall and the multiplex cinema.

Since the 1970s, the small, family-operated stores on America’s Main Street have been eclipsed by enclosed, all-inclusive monster malls in the suburbs. And the local theater, with its single screen and fabled balcony, has been quietly replaced by the theatrical equivalent of the mall.

Like the soda fountain and the hardware store, traditional religion also found itself in a losing demographic spiral. The suburban megachurches appeared to be the wave of the future.

I have to admit this is sadly logical. People like malls, food courts, latte bars, target marketing, convenience and theatrics. People do not like rules, discipline, ceremony, moral demands and accountability. If you give people what they want, you are successful. If you ask something of them, you are usually lonely.

On Saturday morning you can load the kids into the Volvo, drive to a convenient parking lot, drop the kids in a huge room equipped with the latest toys and games, grab a snack from a variety of vendors, catch any one of 10 to 20 movies, meet some of your neighbors (if you can find them in the crowd), window shop and still be back to pick up the little ones before 5 p.m. Except for the movie and the snack, it’s all free.

On Sunday morning you can load up the kids, drive to a convenient parking lot, drop the kids in a huge room equipped with the latest toys and games, grab a cup of coffee and a snack from a variety of vendors, catch any one of 10 to 20 activity groups, discussions or lectures, meet some of your neighbors (if you can find them in the crowd), hear some professional music, experience an inspirational lecture in a climate-controlled, crowd-friendly environment and still be back to pick up the little ones in time for brunch. And except for the offering and the snack, it’s all free.

Why wouldn’t this succeed?

As the new millennium dawns, however, the trend outside religion has shifted toward revitalized Main Streets. While shopping malls are still on the drawing board and huge entertainment centers are still breaking ground, the momentum seems to have faded. Not surprisingly, the megachurch movement also has stalled.

According to a recent report in The Times, the largest of these congregations in Southern California is discussing ways to reignite interest. One suggestion is to replace pews with clusters of tables and chairs so that people feel a greater sense of connection and intimacy.

This ludicrous notion exposes the heart of the issue.

Connection with whom? Intimacy with whom?

By their own admission the focus of megachurch attention is the “unchurched.” Everything--from their marketing to the decor of the buildings--is self-consciously “seeker friendly.” Their ethos is defined by what makes the average man or woman in their target demographic feel most comfortable with Christianity.

We believe that the focus of our church is almighty God. Everything in our ethos is defined by what Holy Scripture says pleases, honors and glorifies him.

Supposedly, God is honored in these religious multiplexes because he enjoys popularity. Every car in the parking lot is assumed to be an endorsement of the almighty. The raw numbers are his praise. Success is his glory.

Enter the cross. The testimony of the martyrs. Elijah with his tiny remnant of the faithful.

Convenience has never been the test of the faith. Comfort has never been a factor in the spread of the Gospel.

But most profoundly, the problem with these megachurches is that they face the wrong direction. From the dust of Sinai to the New Jerusalem, the Bible clearly demonstrates that godly worship faces (or falls down before) the divine majesty. The call of the Gospel points to the way of the cross. There is little room for latte or Christian jazzercise on the path to Calvary.

The timetable and personal satisfaction of “the seeker” have never been priorities in historical Christianity--they are not even considerations. We do not come to church to chat, to be entertained or to assuage our feelings. We come to commune with almighty God. If the service is inconvenient, a little uncomfortable or not what we are used to, it is because we are not divine, we are not living in heaven and we are not angels. In true worship of almighty God we are participating in an activity usually reserved for angels. This is a great privilege and unspeakable joy, but it is not just like going to the mall.

If the sermon is not as entertaining or “relevant” to our daily lives as our favorite situation comedy, or the emphasis is a little too heavy on repentance and holiness rather than on good parenting and satisfying marriages, it is because we view the sermon as instruction for eternity.

Our priests are charged with preparing men and women for eternal life. We may not be pleased by what we hear, but we trust that our almighty God is--he is, after all, the focus and point of the faith.

Truth rarely sells well. The savior promised his disciples that following him and keeping the faith would bring persecution and even death. As the millennium closes, the megachurches are faltering. The great tragedy, however, is that their decline is attributed to a market shift rather than the stumbling block of the Gospel.

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On Faith is a forum for Orange County clergy and others to offer their views on religious topics of general interest. Submissions, which will be published at the discretion of The Times and are subject to editing, should be delivered to Orange County religion page editor Jack Robinson.