Why do you think some people prefer big churches?

[Jimbeaux]

Why do you think some people prefer big mega churches to small mini churches?

Discussion (aka, debate) welcomed.

~Jim
The Bible is so simple you have to have help to misunderstand it.

[Jimbeaux]

1. Because they can hide from responsibility and accountability better in a larger church.

~Jim
The Bible is so simple you have to have help to misunderstand it.

[NewSong]

No fair, you posted number 1 before I could Jimbeaux!

So I will have to post number 2.

2. More programs = more to do and be a part.

[JimfromOhio]

3. I personally don't care for large church however I do see benefits of having a large church. More ministries including for the disabled which smaller churches are not able to do or don't have the staff to provide.

[Alpine]

4. It's great exercise! It takes 5 minutes to walk from your car to get to the church entrance!

[Balance]

When I was attending Bible School I went to a church that was somewhere around 11,000 members. There was a number of things I liked about it.



The home fellowship groups were absolutely fantastic. And because there were so many (about 900), it was easy to find one that fit my schedule and I felt comfortable in.

The singles ministry: it was so nice to meet with more than just the same 15 or 20 singles. I met a whole bunch of people in the very same spot as I was - dated some, made friends with a whole lot of others.
Praise and Worship: There's just something about singing praise to God in the middle of 5,000 other voices all doing the same thing that is, well indescribable. I remember the times we would be singing one moment and then the praise would become spontaneous and the sounds of the voices would drown out the instruments. It was like the sounds of rushing water.
Men's ministry: This was perhaps the best for me personally. I met my accountability partner there - we've become close friends over the years and we still keep up each other.
Opportunities to minister to others: WOW, what can I say - there were so many different outreach ministries to get involved with, you could do it full time! 74 different bus routes - housing outreaches, small cell groups, inner city missions, foreign missions, prison ministry, unwed mothers ministry, alcoholism ministry, drug recovery ministry, Royal Rangers, Missionettes -

My Pastor: no, it wasn't the senior pastor, but we has 17 pastors on staff because of the size of the congregation. My pastor lived in the area that I lived in, he met with me when I asked - he visited, he joined in on events and he counseled me when I asked. Was he the head man - nope - but I think he was the best man, for me.

I love the church I am in right now - we're about 100 strong and growing.

I find the joy in who I'm with, not how many who's I am with.

So, there is 5 through 10.

[pinetree]

do those really huge churches have concession stands?

[pdudgeon]

11. community outreach. the more members you have the easier this is to organize, and the greater impact your church can have.

[pinetree]

12. mega tithing :D

[Balance]

do those really huge churches have concession stands?

Concession stands? No.

Does your church have a book and tape table? A coffee pot?

Well with 11,000 people our book and tape tables were a small store and our coffee pots were in the fellowship area that can handle a couple hundred people.

[pinetree]

Concession stands? No.

Does your church have a book and tape table? A coffee pot?

Well with 11,000 people our book and tape tables were a small store and our coffee pots were in the fellowship area that can handle a couple hundred people.



:wave:
hi balance,are you still mad at brother pinetree after yesterday?

[Balance]

:wave:
hi balance,are you still mad at brother pinetree after yesterday?

My brother! I love you as a Brother in Christ and have never been mad at you!

I always try to think and see the best in you, and it was disappointing to see you lower yourself to such tactics, you are way too intelligent and articulate to be there:

I was looking forward to an exchange of ideas and scriptures in a debate. It just didn't happen.

I was disappointed and a little aggravated, but I wasn't mad.

[pinetree]

My brother! I love you as a Brother in Christ and have never been mad at you!

I always try to think and see the best in you, and it was disappointing to see you lower yourself to such tactics, you are way too intelligent and articulate to be there:

I was looking forward to an exchange of ideas and scriptures in a debate. It just didn't happen.

I was disappointed and a little aggravated, but I wasn't mad.



Thank you.:)

It is the strangest thing..

we agree on some things.

Yet lock horns on some..

There is something about you I like though.

take care,...pinesol.:)

[BenAdam]

Some people like belonging to a big church as a point of pride, something they can with a puffed out chest brag about. Sort of like belonging to the right country club.

[Balance]

Some people like belonging to a big church as a point of pride, something they can with a puffed out chest brag about. Sort of like belonging to the right country club.

Oh, brother! :doh:

[BenAdam]

Oh, brother! :doh:

Are you saying this isn't true? I didn't say everyone, I didn't say most. But it happens. I experience it all the time. People are asked what church they go to and a distinct set of people from a certain church puff out their chest and announce which church it is. This same very large church also happens to have a lot of great people going to it.

Conversely I know many people that have a sense of pride, almost of how abased they are by the tiny church that you probably never hear of but attend regularly.

Relax Brother Balance, I was simply answering the OP.

[Deba]

12 (I think) Great Worship!!!

[Balance]

Are you saying this isn't true? I didn't say everyone, I didn't say most. But it happens. I experience it all the time. People are asked what church they go to and a distinct set of people from a certain church puff out their chest and announce which church it is. This same very large church also happens to have a lot of great people going to it.

Conversely I know many people that have a sense of pride, almost of how abased they are by the tiny church that you probably never hear of but attend regularly.

Relax Brother Balance, I was simply answering the OP.

I am relaxed! -

In fact, I'm sitting in my office with a hot cup of coffee and getting ready to go to lunch. If I was any more relaxed, I'd be asleep.

I'm not saying your comment is true/untrue/of most or many -

I'm expressing the POV that I think it's ridiculous to be so negative as to think people attend a church - or not attend a church ;);) - because of pride.

I think better of people. That's all I am expressing.

So my friend, relax - sit back - take a deep breath - say a little prayer in the Holy Ghost and enjoy the company of your brothers and sisters in Christ. Who may have different opinions, but still love ya!

:wave::wave:

Even Chaplains are allowed to have their own opinions. We just have to explain them more often. :thumbsup:


I'm someone who sees things in a positive light

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p75/joanbailey/glass_half_full.jpg

You will never convince me it's half empty.

[BenAdam]

Even Chaplains are allowed to have their own opinions. We just have to explain them more often. :thumbsup:

I love it!

[Balance]

13: A picture is worth 1000 words

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PzAdqg6BhA

[charityagape]

1. Because they can hide from responsibility and accountability better in a larger church.

~Jim
The Bible is so simple you have to have help to misunderstand it.



Hmmm or because a larger church has more hands to distribute the the responsibility, have you noticed in small churches that (shamefully) two or three overburdened saints seem to be doing everything.

[charityagape]

Some people like belonging to a big church as a point of pride, something they can with a puffed out chest brag about. Sort of like belonging to the right country club.

:idea: I see that here in my home town with some of the SMALL exclusive (of course its not written anywhere that its exclusive, but if you went there and didn't fit IN, you'd certainly feel excluded) churches around here.

[GrapeGirl]

bigger and more hallways to play shoot em' up games in

[Jimbeaux]

Hmmm or because a larger church has more hands to distribute the the responsibility, have you noticed in small churches that (shamefully) two or three overburdened saints seem to be doing everything.

Yep, I agree. I believe churches can be too small as well as too big.

Ideally, IMO, a good church is small enough that if you want to you can know everybody who is a member but large enough to have the resources to help their community—say, maybe, 250-400 in regular weekend attendance.

Churches that are too small should merge with other smaller churches (not likely, unfortuately) and larger mega-type churches should subdivide into separate congregations with individual pastors and leaders (also, not likely).

~Jim

The Bible is so simple you have to have help to misunderstand it.

[Jimbeaux]

12. mega tithing :D

Ah. And once again we are the crux of the matter. http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_1_6.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxdm414YYUS)

~Jim
The Bible is so simple you have to have help to misunderstand it.









http://www.smileycentral.com/sig.jsp?pc=ZSzeb113&pp=ZNxdm414YYUS (http://smiley.smileycentral.com/download/index.jhtml?partner=ZSzeb113_ZNxdm414YYUS&utm_id=7921)

[pinetree]

15. you can see them easy from the highway

[GrapeGirl]

16. Homeless people, if stealthy like I was, can go in and sneak into the bathrooms to sleep unnoticed by the mere church-goer. God knows they wouldn't be allowed in otherwise!

[Jimbeaux]

13. Edited out

Oh, never mind.

[Angel*Eyes]

a good church is small enough that if you want to you can know everybody who is a member but large enough to have the resources to help their community—say, maybe, 250-400 in regular weekend attendance.




Just remember that your preferences are just in fact YOUR Preferences.

Too often people see their perspective as the way things should be for everyone. For instance, a person just called to reach people in the U.S. shouldn't judge people who are called to reach overseas. I've heard people say that people should help out all the needy people here in the U.S. instead of worrying about going overseas.

If God has called you to pastor a 250-400 member church, then you should do that. God gives different people different anointings and calls pastors to have all sizes of churches - small, medium, and large.

It's probably foreign to you why someone would have either a very small or big church, since God didn't give you a desire for either.

[Redheadedstepchild]

do those really huge churches have concession stands?


I know of a Mega UMC in Alabama that has a snack bar of sorts. Does that count?

And actually I did hear about another (not UMC) somewhere north that has a food court.

[charityagape]

I know of a Mega UMC in Alabama that has a snack bar of sorts. Does that count?

And actually I did hear about another (not UMC) somewhere north that has a food court.


Pot lucks have better food, but I imagine its pretty hard to arrange a thousand member potluck dinner.

[ARBITER01]

Why do you think some people prefer big mega churches to small mini churches?

Discussion (aka, debate) welcomed.

~Jim

The Bible is so simple you have to have help to misunderstand it.



Personally, I think people get their focus on a building and start serving it instead of GOD.

[habeas]

In a large church, I can hide better - and that's a good thing. Let's just leave it at that. ;)

[JimfromOhio]

There are many great benefits of having a large church and I was a member of one for number of years.

Over the years, I have learned that spiritual accountability involves "one anothers" which I often see lacking in many big churches. The Scriptures teach every believers to be committed to a local church where he or she is loved and cared for, instructed in the things Christ commanded, encouraged to grow spiritually, and serving Christ effectively. Every believer who attends a Church of faith, commitment, and fruitfulness.

Smaller churches (between 90 and 500) do a much better job of spiritual accountability than larger churches.

[JimfromOhio]

I know of one large church in Columbus that is very humble about their Church and I know of one large church in Columbus that is very prideful about their Church.

[Markus6]

In a large church, I can hide better - and that's a good thing. Let's just leave it at that. ;)
You can hide really well in graveyards too.

Some churches are small because they are so weird no one new wants to go to them. That certainly is not true of all small churches.

[charityagape]

Some churches are small because they're dead and there's no growth, certainly not true of all small churches.