Megachurches

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There has been a great deal of articles in the media lately about so called “megachurches.” They are essentially very large typically non-denominational churches. A recent article in the Associated Press was talking about how most of these churches are not going to be having services on Christmas day. I’ve been reading a lot about these churches because I have seen many Catholics I know get sucked into this new phenomenon. It’s far more prevalent in the sunbelt among baby boomers. I guess I just wanted to know what you guys think of it and how it’s impacting the church.
 
Yes, mega-churches are becoming necessary for the Catholic Church. Here in Iowa, I know of one county that is planning to close eight parishes and build a new church that will serve 6,000.

I don’t doubt that we can learn from the experience of the Protestant churches and their efforts to preserve a sense of community, which is what I fear will be lost.
 
We have one church here in Denver that’s just a normal parish and not a cathedral or anything (but I think is nicer than ours) that has probably 4,500+ people attend Mass on any Sunday or Saturday. It’s located right downtown in the business district though so I don’t think it’s a norm, and it’s a real old Church, built before there was a business district and right now it’s next to a skyscraper. Kind of looks out of place having an old gothic church right next to a huge skyscraper…
 
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catholicdude942:
There has been a great deal of articles in the media lately about so called “megachurches.” They are essentially very large typically non-denominational churches. A recent article in the Associated Press was talking about how most of these churches are not going to be having services on Christmas day. I’ve been reading a lot about these churches because I have seen many Catholics I know get sucked into this new phenomenon. It’s far more prevalent in the sunbelt among baby boomers. I guess I just wanted to know what you guys think of it and how it’s impacting the church.
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Hi Catholicdude,
After reading the replies I’m a bit confused… are you talking about Catholic parishes becoming large - or are you talking about Catholics leaving the faith & joining Protestant mega-churches? That was my take on what you were saying… and I agree with you. As far as baby boomers leaving - I was told it was because the Church went through a phase in the 70’s & 80’s where no one was actually learning what it meant to be Catholic… why we believed what we believe… it was all just Jesus loves you. From what I understand, there has been an effort to return to teaching what it actually means to be Catholic - to hopefully avoid another generation of Catholics who have very little knowledge of their faith & are easy prey for the mega-churches looking to become even more-mega.
 
Looks like our church is going that route. We’re near the end of our capital campaign to build a new 1500 seat church, new two-story school, and new parish center to accomodate a current estimated 7000 families registered in our parish. This is not surprising since Chula Vista, CA is the 2nd largest city in San Diego County, and amongst the top 10 fastest-growing cities in the United States. We currently have over 60 different ministries, groups and organizations, and the space we have is so limited, we hold many of our MGO’s meetings off of church grounds. Our new rectory will be able to house 4 priests.

The need for places to worship is there for an increasing Catholic population. That would also mean more people getting involved in the various lay ministries needed to keep the church running. Overall, I can see it being a good thing - but I know that many of our parishioners can feel lost in such a huge parish family, and with God’s help, and if it be God’s will, many of the long-time parishioners can step up and reach out to those may not be able to find a place in our parish. Thank goodness we have a wonderfully dynamic pastor who is willing to take on this enormous task, yet still stay faithful to Church teachings.
 
Guar Fan:
Yes, mega-churches are becoming necessary for the Catholic Church. Here in Iowa, I know of one county that is planning to close eight parishes and build a new church that will serve 6,000.

I don’t doubt that we can learn from the experience of the Protestant churches and their efforts to preserve a sense of community, which is what I fear will be lost.
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Hey, do you mind if I ask where you live? I also live in Iowa (Waukee- do you know where that is?). I was just curious where that was happening. We go to St. Francis of Assisi in West Des Moines. We have about 2,500 families right now and the percentage of that being children under 18 is crazy. I put my 7 year old on the school waiting list (he’s 13th!) and there are I believe close to 700 kids enrolled in RE. I’m sure for bigger cities that may or may not seem like a lot, but for here in the Des Moines area it’s big. The 9:30 mass on Sunday is so full we can’t fit everyone in the the pews, the have to sit out in the “gathering space”.
 
Hi Tamara! 👋

The closures will be in Webster County (Fort Dodge and vicinity).

I currently live in Waterloo and a couple years ago we had a parish consolidation here. Its a real loss, but there doesn’t seem to be any choice.
 
Guar Fan:
Hi Tamara! 👋

The closures will be in Webster County (Fort Dodge and vicinity).

I currently live in Waterloo and a couple years ago we had a parish consolidation here. Its a real loss, but there doesn’t seem to be any choice.
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Do you think they do that because of a lack of priests? I’ve heard that some priest basically will have to go to different catholic churches in different small towns for mass because they don’t have a priest for each one. I guess it could also be a lack of funds. I know my husband goes to mass over lunch at the cathedral downtown, and he said they are often lacking in funds. It’s kind of a bummer.
 
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