Topic #9 - Church Saturation

I've sort of been a long time fan of the "megachurch" - typically defined as a church with 2000 or more attenders in a typical week. There are many who disagree, saying you lose that close knit family feeling, it's too impersonal, you don't know anyone. I've been a part of more than enough churches of 50-150 to say with confidence that I still never knew everyone - at least not by more than name. And, really, what is a megachurch? It's a bunch of smaller groups of people who, when gathered together, make up a really large group of people.

However, this is not really the point of this post.

I'm simply wondering if there are too many churches in our nation, our region, our state, or even our city.

Here's what my searching has uncovered. In the "Bible Belt", it is estimated that there are typically about 15 churches for every 10,000 residents. This would be about 667 persons per church, if EVERY person went to church. But they don't.

Various studies and research show that, on average, about 40-45% of Americans attend church regularly. However, most of these studies also qualify that 40-45% of Americans SAY they attend church regularly. So the true figures may be lower.

But, since we're talking about the Bible Belt, let's offer the benefit of the doubt, and say that 50% of the people actually do attend church. This would mean that there is a church for every 333 people who attend church. So, for the sake of balance, for every church with 50-100 attenders (of which there are many), there would be a church of 500-600. Or, which is more likely, for every 4-5 churches of 50-100, you've got one church of 1200-1500.

Now, are big churches better than small churches? No. Are small ones better than big ones? No. But this over-saturation of churches concerns me. It seems to speak to a greater & deeper division among Christians who, rather than coming together, pooling their gifts and resources, experiencing in the unifying power of large corporate worship, and living in dynamic faith communities, would rather build their own church with their own people who like to do things their own way.

And - at least to me - this just doesn't seem healthy.


PS - Did I mention that most STATES in the Bible Belt each have over 100 different divisions/denominations of churches to choose from throughout the state? That's amazing, but a totally different discussion for another day.

the communion table

This past weekend in Kentucky, we attended the church where my brother-in-law serves as the Associate Minister / Youth Minister. It's in a town of about 12,000 people. Growing church, looks like they have about 350 in attendance each week. Good worship, different instruments, family life center, working on renovating the sanctuary (which definitely gives you that old-time feel). It was great getting to attend.

But it made me think....it had been a LONG time since I'd attended a church service where men in nice suits actually stood - with great posture - around the "communion table", served it to each other, then routinely passed it to the worshippers. To mine and her knowledge, my wife had never witnessed this tradition. She was not a regular church go-er in her youth, and the places we've attended in the last 5 years use more modern (?) approaches to their communion time.

It brings me to a years-long struggle concerning "traditional" vs "modern/contemporary/emerging" churches. For some reason, my brain tells me that "modern" churches do things the right way, and "traditional" ones do things the wrong way. That somehow believers in traditional churches just don't "get it". That they are missing out on what God REALLY wants church to be like. That they only stand there and suffer through church, while us modern church members are enlightened and fully engaged in the presence of the Holy Spirit. That modern church goers are higher in the pecking order of Christian status.

I truly hate that I think like this! It's stupid. Idiotic. Sinful. Immature. I look at a place like Southeast Christian in Louisville, Ky with 18,000 in weekend attendance and assume all the ministers there are truly devoted, spending time daily with God, living incredible lives. I assume that all in attendance there truly love each other and meet needs of people in unbelievable ways. I see the old Methodist church down the country road that still uses the magnetic-lettered sign out front to post their service times, and I assume that church is boring, tired, old, dead, and that they do nothing but show up late, eat potluck lunches, and bicker over the color of the pews.

It's sick, and I want to confess my sinfulness in this matter. So ponder this with me...

Does it really matter how our services are planned? Does it matter how communion is passed? Does it matter how offering is collected? Does it matter if there's a wooden pulpit, a glass pulpit, or just a music stand? Does it matter if we sing to a piano to a guitar? Does it matter if there are drums? Sure, I have my personal preferences in this matter. And so do you. BUT GOD DOESN'T CARE. Just like He doesn't care that I was sitting there in my shorts and sneakers while a man in a 3-piece suit offered me the body of Christ. Just like He has no preference whether Haitians worship acapella with only a tamborine, or Californians sing raucously with a 12 member rock band. Just like He doesn't care if the communion comes from the front of the room, the back of the room, a wicker basket, a golden tray, sits on a table or on the floor, is passed down the rows, or is available on a table for believers to come and receive on their own.

And God certainly doesn't care whether I think any of these methods are better than another. And I'm extremely thankful for that.