The term was used on an active post here on Acts. My wife and I were just talking about this yesterday. We visit way too many COG churches (and others of course, but our heart is with the COG) that seat 300 and now the congregation is as low as 15. The 15 is the lowest # we have seen in a large facility. That one is a country church, modern facility, but jobs have left the area.Many that seat 200+ have 50 in worship service. Is there an answer other than it is what it is?I have a friend in real estate. He describes the business property that we all see that has changed hands every year for the past 5 years with businesses going in and out of business. He says it is ‘Snake bit’ and if a Chinese food place can’t make it mark it off.Do we have churches in good cities that are snake bit? ________________Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]/
Some residential areas have become commercial. Others have had their congregation age and die out and the building reflects it. I have noticed that many smaller churches prefer a rented facility rather than a large building that would take all of their finances to just maintain. Many pastors who draw no salary are at a church that every dime is used just to keep the building open________________
Yes I know that is a fact, many times a pastor is paying to pastor, especially where the congregation has ‘aged out’.In that case i have said many times, even the ones aging out need someone to bury them.Hope you are enjoying retirement my friend! ________________Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]/
My opinion, and I know its just opinion but I base it on personal observation.The rise of the local mega-church. The big-show, black-ceiling, laser-light, fog machine, seeker-friendly, big-Easter giveaway church movement has siphoned off the majority of the 200 – 400 sized churches. That combined with the general shrinking of the church in the last 15 years due to the fact that the modern church has convinced most people that they are just like everyone else (you know, exactly what they thought would win everyone over), has added to the malaise and apathy of church in general.
Something I’ve noticed…
Back in the 80s (or so), the largest churches in Florida were Pine Hills (Orlando) and, Lakeland (W.W. Thomas’ church), and University (Tampa). There were a few other large churches in the mix, too, I’m sure, but these come to mind.While University has morphed into citilife (spelling?) and continues to excel, Pine Hills and others are now shadows of themselves.I believe that some churches, through wise and strong leadership, can continually reinvent themselves and bring in a new generation, etc. But others, even though operated by the godliest of men, have to deal with things such as demographic changes, an aging congregation, the rise of other strong churches who compete for the same people, perhaps having a traditional style vs. the more current style that attracts, etc.Poor business or financial decisions can take a church down. A pastor pulling out of the Church of God and taking many members with them. Or, God forbid, a moral failing that sends people scurrying away or at least to other churches.All in all, I’ve come to think that churches have a lifespan. A North Cleveland, who can attract MVP pastors, has solid financials, and also serves nearby Lee University, has a longer lifespan than most Churches of God. I would imagine that if we didn’t count the outliers like North Cleveland or new plants, etc., we would likely find that most or our churches last 40-60 years before either closing or combining with another church.
In many evangelical megachurches, souls are not being saved. Lost people are experiencing false conversion, to paraphrase Niebuhr, as a God without wrath brings men without sin into a Kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross. They are being emotionally cajoled to make a decision for Jesus so that He can fix the brokenness in their lives, and told that if they did, in that highly charged emotional moment, they will experience eternity with Him. There is no preaching of Christ and Him crucified; nor is there preaching of the necessity of trusting by faith in His substitutionary work. There is no exhortation to examine one’s self to see if saving faith is genuinely there.
Is this tantamount to essentially creating a new denomination/organization with the satellite churches or will each church be a self governing body________________
Because they can listen to the sermons that are being preached and can with their own ears that a false, man-centered gospel is being preached. False gospels do not produce genuine gospel fruit. I’m sure there are people in these churches that are finding genuine faith by God’s graciousness, and I know there are a few megachurches that are faithfully preaching the gospel. But in general, a false gospel does not produce true gospel fruit.
Self-governing. I can’t imagine they won’t retain some form of informal partnership with each other, but they were specific about each church being independent and
They don’t know. Many just like to lump everyone who’s not like them into a pile and throw rocks at them. They don’t know what is preached. They don’t know the sense of community. They don’t know if people are being reached or saved. They just know they are envious of the crowds and sad because their churches are emptying because of a lot of issues – mostly irrelevancy, a mixed message of condemnation and preaching anything but Jesus.We have a mega church in our area that is emptying the churches still stuck in the 70’s. I don’t attend there, but the message is Christ-centered, small groups create a strong sense of community, many are being saved and baptized and droves who wouldn’t set foot in the necktie church are experiencing Jesus, not religion. The size means nothing when defining what a church is all about. There are tons of small churches literally dying of religion________________I’m not saved because I’m good. I’m saved because He’s good!My website: http://www.bradfreeman.comMy blog: bradcfreeman.tumblr.com/
They certainly do. They can listen to these sermons, and I’ve listened to dozens and dozens and dozens of them from across the evangelical megachurch spectrum as I’ve come to these conclusions.
With this post I am looking back at my past. There was a time in the 50’s & 60’s in NC, many times when a church reached the 200-400 in attendance range, instead of building a larger edifice, that church would mother another COG. Looking back, 200 was the most a single pastor could ‘pastor’ comfortably, it seemed to work then. In our area (GAston County) we had many with good pastors.Things were different then. With the cotton mill villages most folk walked to church. 90% of the members were within 5 miles of the church.Right now my home church that has run consistently 100-175 in worship has dropped below 100. The members of our church drive as much as 35 miles one way to attend, either are kin to the pastor or followed him. Now probably 10% of our congregation if within 10 miles of the church. When this pastor leaves our attendance will most likely be cut in half.There was a time when members felt an obligation to a ‘local church’ if they did not particularly like the pastor they knew they ‘would outlast him’ many had this attitude without any animosity to the leader at all, they could live with the ‘misfitting’ for a couple years. Now with transportation available many will follow the pastor or will drive to Central. I don’t blame them for that Loran is a very good preacher and pastor. I know many people are at Central who used to attend the dying churches. It is yet to be known if Central will retain it’s solid base when Loran leaves and he will at some point leave or pass away, we all do that, pass away!
Well said. Close to my favorite William Boothe quote