> Bill Hybels, a megachurch pastor felled by sexual-misconduct allegations in 2018, was said to parrot Peter Drucker, a management guru: “What does the customer consider value?” So… basically they are businesses selling a product.
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American megachurches are thriving by poaching flocks
21–30 of 93 posts
Re: American megachurches are thriving by poaching flocks
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
The more people in the ceremony, the bigger the energy. It is a spectacle for even non-believers -- but not much more so than watching your local sports team.
It's creepier. One of the parts of having a pastor is using that person as a spiritual counselor. It's THE core part of their job. If you belong to a megachurch, then unless you are a huge donor, your pastor will likely never even know your name, much less help you out with any issues you might have with faith or morality based issues.
I'm not religious but one of my coworkers goes to a megachurch a few miles from where I live.
I looked up their web site and they have 14 different people listed as "pastor."
It looks like it is divided up between a senior ministry team, adult and family ministers, care, college, music, sports, student ministries. Then there are about 30 elders and another 50 deacons.
I just looked at the satellite photos and they have 6 separate soccer fields. The youth and sports are big parts of it. They have 10 different youth sports and 8 for adults. Multiple summer camps.
I would never join anything like this but I would also never join a fraternity or sorority. It seems like you're paying a group to be friends with you but it is their money so whatever.
Re: American megachurches are thriving by poaching flocks
#23Consider checking out your local UU (Unitarian Universalist) church if one exists. They're one of the few positioned to poach from the huge flock of "nones" without any change in belief.
UU is basically the church of be excellent to each other, yet whenever I go it's almost entirely old people. It's fun to chat and drink coffee with them, but I wonder where all the younger atheists/humanists are.
Re: American megachurches are thriving by poaching flocks
#24Curious if members of HN attend any of these megachurches. If so, what is the draw?
Very good way to meet like minded people in your community.
Re: American megachurches are thriving by poaching flocks
#25That's not a church. That's a campaign rally.
Re: American megachurches are thriving by poaching flocks
#26While at a coffee shop I happened to observe someone from a local large church trying to convince someone from a smaller church to attend their church instead. Someone who was an influencer among their church attending peer group, it seemed.
Was that spontaneous, or did they seem to have been trained or prepared for converting people?
Re: American megachurches are thriving by poaching flocks
#27Curious if members of HN attend any of these megachurches. If so, what is the draw?
As I read the replies, I hear a lot about the experience of attending. But what I don’t hear about is community. Isn’t that part of the value of church?
My impression (as a complete outsider) is that these churches are replacing community with charismatic faith and leadership.
What professional football on TV is to your local neighborhood games; a substitution of one human interest for a stronger (but arguably less positive) one.
Re: American megachurches are thriving by poaching flocks
#28Consider checking out your local UU (Unitarian Universalist) church if one exists. They're one of the few positioned to poach from the huge flock of "nones" without any change in belief. UU is basically the church of be excellent to each other , yet whenever I go it's almost entirely old people. It's fun to chat and drink coffee with them, but I wonder where all the younger atheists/humanists are.
> it's almost entirely old people
Amen. That was my experience.
> I wonder where all the younger atheists/humanists are
They’ve turned to Freemasonry and the Elks. Ha! No, millennials don’t believe in community organizations. Too creepy.
Re: American megachurches are thriving by poaching flocks
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's creepier. One of the parts of having a pastor is using that person as a spiritual counselor. It's THE core part of their job. If you belong to a megachurch, then unless you are a huge donor, your pastor will likely never even know your name, much less help you out with any issues you might have with faith or morality based issues.
I'm not religious but one of my coworkers goes to a megachurch a few miles from where I live. I looked up their web site and they have 14 different people listed as "pastor." It looks like it is divided up between a senior ministry team, adult and family ministers, care, college, music, sports, student ministries. Then there are about 30 elders and another 50 deacons. I just looked at the satellite photos and they ha…
Ah so like a professor teaching an intro chemistry class at State U, with their 50 TAs. :-)
Re: American megachurches are thriving by poaching flocks
#30A flock is, after all, how you refer to sheep.
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