19 Comments
Aug 24, 2022Liked by Scot McKnight

I worked in an SBC megachurch with the marketing team. My experience is that churches get to be that size because they have the best show every Sunday. The most charismatic speakers, the best music, the most engaging videos and graphics, marketing. All of these are carefully strategized to make the best show possible every Sunday. The problem is that none of these incredibly expensive tools are necessary or required for a faithful church, and if these tools were not employed, the crowd would not show up every Sunday. It creates a congregation of consumers. Imagine Christ saying, "to the church in Dallas: love the new fog machine and light show but I hold this against you... you graphics package is horrible and you your worship team didn't look engaged in the music."

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#13 may be- Such churches communicate that the sermon is far above anything else in regards to being the key event for the church.

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Aug 24, 2022Liked by Scot McKnight

Helpful observation. One of my remaining questions is whether the mega church creates pastors like this or attracts them?

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Aug 24, 2022·edited Aug 24, 2022Liked by Scot McKnight

I suspect the more concerning aspect is our 'celebrity' mindset than numbers per se. I've never been close to a Mega church pastor, with 400(ish) being the limit of my gift set, ability and sanity, but...I have been a big fish in a small pond and the same dynamics are there for me to abuse if I wanted to. Even with all the structures for accountability in place. Even with a leadership team and congregation that I urge to hold me accountable at every level, there will always be those who want to make me be the flavour of the month / best thing since sliced bread. It seems there is something in the human psyche that really wants a mediator besides Jesus. Maybe the RC's are onto something? In the past it's caused me to flee and I've cut at least one pastorate short by a few years as a result. As I get older I manage it as part of the deal. I don't think we can apportion all the blame on sociopathic leaders. For sure if that tendency is there and it's a perfect storm they will feed its fires...but the Church with a big C is as much part of the problem. I have long felt that large portions of the Church in the North America's is built on a flawed premise in at least this 'celebrity' aspect, but I have far more questions than answers. What does one do (other than point to Jesus rather than oneself) to correct a celebrity mindset?

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Aug 24, 2022Liked by Scot McKnight

Way back in the early/mid-1970s, the youth magazine Campus Life had an article (not sure by whom) warning of the dangers of exalting a leader instead of Christ. They warned that if the leader fell, your faith was in danger also, because it wasn't built on Christ. I've thought of that article often over the years.

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Aug 24, 2022Liked by Scot McKnight

Very interesting. There are many churches with a celebrity pastor that decline sharply after they leave. Excellent analysis todays post!

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Aug 24, 2022Liked by Scot McKnight

“7. Loyalty to Christ and loyalty to pastor’s vision can get muddled.” Until covid, I actually thought they were one and the same. Serving the pastor’s vision WAS serving Christ. Thinking subversive thoughts of the pastor was akin to treason.

I can only thank God for Covid and the clarity it brought.

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I remember watching one of the GLS's and Hybels was interviewing a guy who published a book on humility. Hybels said something to the effect of, "I'm very intrigued by the topic since good leaders need to be assertive and confident." As he conducted the interview it was as if the idea of a leader being humble was some sort of revelation. Hybels was almost acting surprised by the fact that a good leader should model humility. I was taken back and never able to hold GLS in the same regard after that.

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Hybels never turned away from crafting & delivering insightful and life transforming services. That statement is flat out false.

I’ve been a pastor in small churches and big ones. Same dysfunctions exist in both irregardless of denomination or non.

Paul spoke to all church problems in the first century. Seems like it’s mostly a log/speck issue...always. Yaconelli wrote Messy Spirituality. Lots of pithy truth in there.

The integration of biblical truth with good boundaries and good servant leadership always points to

a meaningful, but never perfect future. Conundrums and paradoxes abound. Pray for wisdom from above. Listen to Stockdale. Read Isaiah 66:2 every day. Thanks for listening.

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A story about my time working in the largest church in Arkansas... During this time the pastor was also elected president of the SBC. He was an extremely charismatic, forceful personality. There was a culture of treating him with deep respect, knowing he was God's man. If he happened to be walking down your wing of the church, someone would herald his arrival a few minutes before, the expectation was that you should be sure to greet and thank him. If staff went on to serve in other local churches, it was treated almost as a kind of betrayal. During the pastor's 30 year anniversary of pastoring the church, we hung 10 foot banners featuring pictures of him preaching and baptizing congregants. We created a 10 minute video documentary about all that he had done the in the past decades. The next Monday morning in the leadership team meeting, he complained that the video wasnt long enough. I don't think that charisma or talent are wrong, but many of these non denom/evangelical mega churches have little accountability coming from above or below the Pastor.

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Per Beach’s “refracted glory” I have often pondered the words of Jesus in John 5:44.

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