Tuesday, January 13, 2009
It's all about the people
More reaction to some of the comments (posted and verbal) from last time on big church blues.
I do wonder what the church in Jerusalem looked like. They were a mega church, but the end of Acts 2 sure sounds like a blueprint for home gatherings or small group ministry. Maybe the temple gatherings were their large assembly times. How did the Jerusalem elders oversee and shepherd a church like that?
Has the era of the megachurch passed? The fastest growing churches I know are house churches in Cuba and churches in Africa that are community based. Each community or neighborhood has a congregation. We are still chasing the "bigger is better" model. will we someday look at our church buildings as museums from a past model that is no longer effective?
So why is Southern Hills in a $4 million building program?
This next observation is from me. I pray we are moving into a model that works for the next 50 years. We are building facilities that better enable us to have multiple assemblies (that may mean language, communication style, cultural styles, and any number of other differences). These may meet at different times, or at the same time in different parts of our facility.
I hope our facility empowers our members to deeper fellowship, discipling, and evangelism opportunities.
I pray with God's help that we can oversee and shepherd a church that has 4 or 5 assemblies on site, 4 or 5 assemblies off site, and 15- 20 home gatherings. That is a mega church with no mega assemblies (at least on a regular basis). That means we have to rethink concepts such as staff, every member ministry, and the idea that one man (or even 2 or 3 men) can be the "preacher" for the congregation.
I don't have many answers, but I sure raised many questions. Help me with the answers.
Next time I may work on the idea of busy ministry, lots of contact, but no deep connection or fellowship.
I do wonder what the church in Jerusalem looked like. They were a mega church, but the end of Acts 2 sure sounds like a blueprint for home gatherings or small group ministry. Maybe the temple gatherings were their large assembly times. How did the Jerusalem elders oversee and shepherd a church like that?
Has the era of the megachurch passed? The fastest growing churches I know are house churches in Cuba and churches in Africa that are community based. Each community or neighborhood has a congregation. We are still chasing the "bigger is better" model. will we someday look at our church buildings as museums from a past model that is no longer effective?
So why is Southern Hills in a $4 million building program?
This next observation is from me. I pray we are moving into a model that works for the next 50 years. We are building facilities that better enable us to have multiple assemblies (that may mean language, communication style, cultural styles, and any number of other differences). These may meet at different times, or at the same time in different parts of our facility.
I hope our facility empowers our members to deeper fellowship, discipling, and evangelism opportunities.
I pray with God's help that we can oversee and shepherd a church that has 4 or 5 assemblies on site, 4 or 5 assemblies off site, and 15- 20 home gatherings. That is a mega church with no mega assemblies (at least on a regular basis). That means we have to rethink concepts such as staff, every member ministry, and the idea that one man (or even 2 or 3 men) can be the "preacher" for the congregation.
I don't have many answers, but I sure raised many questions. Help me with the answers.
Next time I may work on the idea of busy ministry, lots of contact, but no deep connection or fellowship.
