The Mega Church Phenomenon

Lynchburg, Virginia, Ozark, Missouri, San Antonio, Texas--and the Wild West: Is This God's Wellness or Orwellian Madness...? (I do believe that the Mega-Church can offer many good ministries to the community, and in a future addendum to this article will consider the positives.)

After my cross-country trek last Fall, during which I visited several 7000 to 12,000 member churches, I penned in my journal ponderings like, "Will the current mega-church explosion--this ecclesiastical you-can-buy-anything-you-need-here-Walmartization of religion--eventaully implode on itself..or are there sufficient redemptive trickle-downs? Is this just a systemic Pop Culture spasm--or something resonating with Acts 2..?

I do earnestly pray that the Mega-Church can be a mighty ministry for the Lord God, that it truly is a sign of healthy spiritual growth--and not just a phenomenon of "fatness in Numbers" and a barn full of 'spiritual orphans'. The following thoughts are not meant in any way to be condemning, pejorative, or cynical. I am praying that all local churches, large or small, may be spiritually healthy gardens of godly growth.

The Steeple Chaser, as a thoughtful observer, (seeking always to be skeptical but not cynical, satircal but not sarcastic) might wonder: "Is there some part or aspect of mass-movement churchianity--the kind with placating platitudes, defective Christology and Pneumatology, a 'diffenrent gospel' of charismagical health, wealth, and narcissistic Successism, with its barnfulls of herded, passive sheeple perching-up-there-in-the-bleachers--that points to The Apostasy mentioned in Hebrews..?

And/or is this, perhaps in the socio-psychological sense, an eschatological sign that America is ready for fascism..?"

What about the Mega-Church 'atmosphere' and its meta-messages..?

Is jumbo-tron screenism (sometimes even taped elsewhere by an absentee pastor who perhaps enjoys fishing for cookable fish)--which provides unwanted glimpses of uvula and forced inspection of the American-Idol-wannabe vocalist's latest dental prosthesis, and the offering-taker's cheek mark which looks too much like the shape of New Zealand) really just a Big Brother vehicle for the one-way-commuication of a subtle totalism and authoritarianism afflicting itsel on the redeemed community..?

Even though some may laugh at this point, the critical thinker (rare breed that he is) might ask: "Does the nineteen-foot high in-your-face close-up of a speaker's florid 'affect' achieve more of a ('purpose-driven') brainwashing and 'thought reform' goal--than interpersonal nurturing, nourishing pastoral teaching-from-life, and compassionate day-to-day shepherding..?"

Would it rain on the herd-thinkers' parade to ask, "Is the mega-church phenomenon just another corporate takeover--another co-opting, 'benignly hostile' scarfing up of the more meaningful, effective, (and 'nutritious') small church 'mom and pop' operations..?"

But just as it's easier to cop out and move from the accountability of a small town--to hide impersonally and anonymously in the big city and live the 'secret life of Henry Fife'--it's also ("fer shure") easier to slip into the mega-church cattle drive.

Why not? Everybody's doin' it..!

The old saying comes to mind and makes me grin, "Fifty million Frenchmen can't be wrong." Ha--the reality question is, "Can even one Frenchman be right...?"

(At least you can try, perhaps, to correct their perceptual distortions, impaired insight, impulsivity, and truncated judgment--if you keep them in small groups that is..!)

Please organize a 'panel of experts' who can clear these questions up for me..!

The Christian Leader's Support Group

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“I’m so busy—I have to take the time..!”
The Christian Leader’s Support Group
by Phil Brewer

Your Relational Support System. Ideally, you have a loving family, some good friends you can trust, and respectful regard in your ministerial milieu. But whatever the quality of your support system, you may want to consider organizing a support group of four or five peers. Friends and family are precious treasures and constitute part of our relational wellness. But your own support group, with its focus, accountability, honest feedback, mining of biblical truth, active listening, heartfelt prayer, sincere empathy, and shared vision offers profound benefits. The adventure of a functioning support group run in an atmosphere of courtesy, mutual dignity, and edification awaits you.

Seeking Candidates. Look for persons of like precious faith—who love God, whose lives are dedicated to faithful stewardship of the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 4). Look for men who basically share (or feel compatible with) your world view and Christocentric vision. And homogeneity of gender (all men or all women) seems to work best.

Caveat: Discouragement. A good support group takes time. You must resolve to do some ‘research and development’ before your ‘engineering’ is improved. One or two may drop out, or not show up in the first place. But lay all before God in your earnest prayer for a functional support group, be persistent, and He will bring it to pass.

Caveat: “Clones.” Cloned sameness (while appearing to double strengths) may also double weaknesses. Healthy heterogeneity can enrich the gather-ings: an intelligent youth pastor or dedicated music minister enjoying wisdom of older senior pastors; a first time church planter comparing notes with veterans; a liturgical or mainliner with an independent charismatic or classical Pentecostal. Godly representation from different ethnic and multicultural backgrounds can bless your koinonia and bring valuable perspective. A counselor, a chaplain, or parachurch leader can spice up the conversation.

Seek Wisdom. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance to build a group of men/women who are rational, sensible, mentally healthy, and generally easy to get along with. (Someone who is chronically hostile, contentious, inappropriately suspic-ious, emotionally immature, a crank, a 'concrete thinker' who can't think abstractly, a grievance-collector, has a one-issue theology or simplistic hobby horse--usually needs more in-depth therapeutic ministry than the typical support group can offer.) 'High maintenance personalities' require 'high maintenance engineers' (life coaches!).And pray earnestly that your group will be focused: listening—observing, paraphrasing, understanding.

Transference Issues. Even though a pastor can’t have this luxury in his congregation, don’t build anyone into your support group whom you consistently feel uncomfortable or nervous around—or just don’t like. If you have sincerely brought this before the Lord, you may simply have a ‘transference issue’ and should just pray for that person from a distance. A support group can be chilled by transference issues (which often have nothing to do with his or your spirituality). For example, you may remind him (without realizing it) of a Little League coach he didn’t like, or he may remind you (unconsciously) of that prof who gave you a low grade, or that vicious ‘Diotrephes’ type church boss (cf. 3 John) who sabotaged your last pastorate and got you voted out! The typical support group doesn’t provide an appropriate arena for figuring out why you don’t like someone.

Phase One: Proactivity. Seek the Holy Spirit’s management. Make in-person and phone inquiries. Get Email addresses. Scan or snail mail this support group information to persons who may be interested. Invite four to six motivated persons to coffee. Agree to pray corporately regarding the support group. Stay in contact via Email and/or phone with those showing interest.

Phase Two: Organizing. Get together for an early breakfast discussion with the committed. Suggested maximum is six members per support group. Set the date for your first meeting. In the first support meeting, agree on a standard (albeit flexible for holidays or emergencies) time of the month and day of the week. Choose a ‘round robin’ location at the different homes, off-ices, (or comfortable and private church rooms) of group members. A full breakfast, or just snacks and beverages, may be offered as each member hosts the support group on his particular month. Suggested meeting time is from 8:00am to 1:30pm, one day a month—e.g.: second Thursday of each month. Of course, your group may choose a different schedule.

Phase Three: Management. Over the years several standard questions have proved helpful. Each member should try to manage his time in dealing with each question, while at the same time feeling relaxed enough to express himself candidly and fully. A support group member also has the privilege of deferring on a particular question (perhaps “all is well” in that category or he just may not want “to go there” at this time). One question might take forty-five minutes to go around the circle. Another question might be dealt with in a shorter period of time. In some meetings a particular member may need more focused empathy and time from the rest of the group. If profound issues emerge which seem beyond the scope of a support group, the member may want to talk privately with a qualified Christian consultant. Generally that life coach shouldn’t be in the same group, I think. While the support group has a very healing and encouraging purpose, it may not be able to function as psychotherapy or group therapy. Christian trust, based on absolute confidentiality, of course, is a must. Priority requires a prayerful sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s leading (e.g.: “themes” for the day) and proper orchestration (i.e.: no domination of time by one of the members).

Phase Four: Suggested Support Group Questions.

(“During this past month…)

1. …What has God been saying to you in His Word? (devotional Bible study and prayer-journaling—not just Sunday’s sermon if a pastor)

2. …How have you been using your time? (schedule, pacing, recreation)

3. …How are your relationships going? (family, friends, staff, ministry)

4. …How are things going personally? (stress, motivation, decisiveness, inertia, effectiveness, frustration, worry, anger, thinking, obsessions, perceptions, confidence, creativity, calling, hope, humor, health)

5. …What spiritual leadership principles have you learned--or desire to? (Are you growing in leadership-effectiveness & problem-solving?)

6. …How may we pray with you?” (wellness needs: physical, mental, spiritual, relational, economic, career-satisfaction--ministry, calling)

Support Group ‘peer-feedback’ can help one realize things like…

1. Life (& ministry) is a marathon not a fifty-yard dash (pacing, more time with the 'strong' than 'weak', sabbaticals, 'time-out'--not just 'time off').

2. Clearly defined boundaries, limitations, and 'compartmentalizing'--stall burnout.

3. Religious institutions were made for man (not vice versa) (“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”). Don’t be too 'religiously-pre-occupied'.

4. One must not derive too much self identity from 'role-image: “...have a life.”

5. Idealistic expectations can be blunted and lowered (accurate reality-testing).

6. Creativity, self-care, healthy humor, being flexible—help maintain wellness.

7. Difficult people and problems can be coped with (or seek God and move on!).

8. "The battle is the Lord’s"--become a Satisfied-Satisfier instead of a Frustrated-
Satisfier. (Frustrated-Satisfiers can backslide into Frustrated-Frustraters).

9. Your own handicaps & perceptual distortions may be managed and corrected.

10. Inspiration & encouragement from your group is available during blah times.

11. Support during personal struggles--e.g.:loneliness, alienation, sickness.

12. Build an enduring close friendship or two perhaps from your Support Group.

13. Develop insight re: how you come across to others (e.g.: facial expressions, mannerisms, habits, personal hygiene, communication style). Do you need voice-coaching to help you project properly with intercostal diaphragmatic breathing—because you preach with an effeminate, high, squeaky-squawky voice--torturous to listen to? [Many leaders have no insight regarding how tedious it is to listen to their perhaps good material—because of poor voice projection and lame rapport! Sadly, others may just be boring--blunt 'affect', emotionally cold, with impoverished and uninteresting no listen-no study-no pray lives--droning on-and-on--superficial and self-absorbed--with no depth of rich humor, satire, irony, paradox, or metaphor. Some are judgment-impaired magical thinkers--or secret-lifers*--some feel compelled to be on TV.]

14. Not trying to do God’s work--without God’s power. Like it or not (cf. Acts) the effective Christian leader must walk in the Spirit (as the leaders go--so go the people). The Spirit stops 'policy wonks', 'control freaks', 'toadie collectors', and attention-seekers. The Pneumatic (Spirit-empowered--Zech. 4:6) minister of Christ must not only have a healthy Christology but experiential knowledge and practice of a sound Pneumatology. (Who is in charge here?)

15. An honest Support Group can be an arena for the soul-healing confession--that artificial charm, secular market-driven purposes, programs, and the strange fire of carnal charisma have failed miserably to reach souls in the stewardship of Jesus Christ. My dear minister-Father told me about the deacons in a rural Kentucky church, who, when asked, “What is the anointing of the Spirit?” replied, “We don’t know if we could define what it is…but we sho-do-know-what-it-ain’t…”

EMMAUS
Christian Leadership Assistance Program
Philip C. Brewer, Director
(e) CounselPro@gmail.com
(Online LifeCoaching): http://christianleaderlifecoaching.com

Copyright © 2002-2003-2004-2005-2008 by Philip C. Brewer All Rights Reserved

Analog vs. Digital: The Soren Hypothesis

Life is 'Analog'--not 'Digital'. Surviving and Thriving Depends on Coping With, Defending Against, and Gaining Victory Over--'Digitalization' by inappropriate Religiosity, Idealism, Institutionalism, Socialism, Culturalism, and Totalitarianinsm.

"I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live."

Christ is perfection. "...in Him I live and move and have my being" ...in my human messiness and frailty.

In this hypothesis, Human Living--with its problems-of-living and problems-of-loving--is 'analog'--not 'digital'--in that life is 'messy'. Even though digitalized things are fun to read (a novel) or to watch (movies, TV sitcoms, anything with a beginning, middle, and end) one does not live in a novel, a film, a TV show, or a piece of fine art.

Yet, again, we enjoy a painstakingly-crafted sculpture, neatly-worded choral music, or a sermon (from behind a pulpit with three points and a poem), because prepared presentations are 'digital', and really must be so to be logically followed--whether or not in the Western European cultural tradition.

Yet ministry always emerges from life and from community. Folks would rather "see a sermon (analogously) rather than hear one (digitally)."

Christian ideals are 'digital' but the challenge a human seeker of God has in reaching toward these ideals (the daily grind, the lonely apartment, the dead-end job, the reality of aging and loss of function) is 'analog'.

A man tries this door, tries that one. One attempt is analogous to another--analogous-to-some-frame-of reference--or to a past attempt. And, perhaps a pattern is developed. A totem is set up. A taboo is legislated.

Or perhaps a well-intended-yet logical fallacy is inferred from a correllation ("Let's not take Henrietta to the party with us because every time we take her we have car trouble"). Ask any scientist or researcher, correlations and causes are not always neatly paired up.

But the fallable, "researching and developing" analogous human being sweats and struggles in relation to a standard or placement of the bar by biblical plumblines. political pontificators, or pulpit preachments--hoping to 'improve his engineering' some day, to better his 'batting average', or to make par.

Christ's exhortation "Be ye perfect" is analogous to serious 'research and development'--like not freaking out but just relaxing in the bottom of the boat with Jesus next time on the Sea of Galilee when the storm hits--like not denying Him next time. Like casting the recalcitrant devil out this time. Wholehearted devotion. Obediently following Him, taking up His cross--yet, so messily, in such frailness, even in times of human craziness--definitely not in the 'digitalized perfection' that only God can possess.

Analog: the Spirit vs. the Letter of the Law. The righteous person in Christ may well know not to 'touch the Ark'--yet Christ will liberate the 'analogous' human seeker of God and His truth from neurotic anxiety about eating the 'temple shewbread' or pulling his ox out of the ditch on the Sabbath.

The First Century Sadducean/Pharisaical obsessive-compulsive distortions of godliness were an impossible 'yoke', an iron grip of digitalization that neither they nor their religious-systemite 'frustrated-satisfier' victims could bear. Jesus, the Anointed One, the Second Person of the Godhead, Himself divinely perfect, broke into a fascist (Roman ruled) world, and Pharisee-bound world in which the cure's totalitarian (a toxic kind of digitalization to be sure) grid was worse than the disease. Both the paranoid and the obsessive-compulsive--attempts angrily (in a human and social-engineering sense) to digitalize people and digitalize life.

Attempts to (politically or religiously) 'digitalize' human beings minus the Messiah (even trying to moralize minus-the-Messiah) will always backfire, and produce iatrogenic (treatment-caused) problems. Study Judas' moralizing-minus-the-Messiah in his bleeding-heart-liberal-fretting over "the poor" in John chapter 12.

The disciples, for a while, had 'frozen expectations' wanting Jesus to be the Conquering King in their 'now' rather than the Suffering Servant which had to come first in prophecy. They frustrated themselves by pressing the wrong 'prophetic template' over their Savior's mission. He had to go to the Cross first.

"How have the mighty fallen." Perhaps a more proactive approach could be taken to prevent Christian leaders from falling from grace and/or to prevent their messy misconduct from terminally disillusioning their constituents.

This would be to teach the redeemed community the humble realities of human frailty, while cautioning pulpiteers and televangelists regarding excesses of Triumphalism, Entire (instantaneous) Sanctification, and the touting of grandious idealizations, pedestalizations, and an obsessive legalism that belongs only to paranoid psyches and social systems.

Was the Apostle Paul demonstrating this 'analog truth' to us when he confronted Peter or fussed about taking a fellow missionary along after the man had messed up?

What about when he struck out (Acts) initially toward Asia and 'hit the wall?' Paul thought he was supposed to go to Asia but was blocked.

His R&D continued with more dedicated lab work in the Spirit as he then headed toward Bithynia--again only to find his goal frustrated and his 'spiritual engineering' perhaps only slightly improved.

Then God upgraded his 'spiritual sonar and radar' (and included the vision of the man from Madedonia), giving Paul a very clear, graphic visual schematic--better mission-mapping.

Paul's 'analog faithfulness' (I Corinthians 4: "...It is required that a man be found faithful") resulted in improved 'spiritual engineering' and successful goal-attainment as he walked more and more sensitively "in the Spirit" (Romans 8:1).

The Analog Nature of Christian Realism. First Lydia was led to Christ, then on to Philippi to be hosted by being beaten up (an 'analog reception' to be sure) and then thrown in jail (another 'messy' illustration of what it can be like to be smack-dab in the middle of God's will, led by the Spirit's finely-tuned engineering--and with the Pneumatic copability of the Spirit to sing the 'song of the Lord' in a messy (analogous, ordered-chaos) place.

Would not an analog-like faithfulness in serving God function better as the Christian's modus operandi--than trying to find (as one writer puts it) "the mystical dot" of God's perfect will, or the "dot" of perfect, self-consciious and introspective holiness..?

Might the 'digital dot' (as too often may be preached) only exist in the mind of the obsessive or the legalist..?
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Copyright 2007 by Soren et al.