What is a "MEGA CHURCH"?

[LegoGE1947]

Attendance defines the term “MEGA,” in reference to the massive Protestant churches, as I have explained.

You might be lost in some other readings, since I never stated the Catholic Church “invented” it.

Thank you, for your take on Medieval times, not that it is on topic.

You must have a devoted a great deal of time, in attendance at Protestant Mega churches, to believe yourself to be so well informed about them that you have concluded they are “basically entertainment centers” and a “different animal.”

May I suggest that your disrespect for your brothers and sisters-in-Christ, by referring to them as animals seeking entertainment, reflects poorly on you, as a Catholic.

Although I am sure your presence will be missed, at the MEGA churches, I am sure your local Catholic parish will benefit greatly from your deep knowledge of Medieval history, and modern day Protestant movements.

I don’t know about anyone else but my presence at the last Mega church I attended was not missed. I’m not sure they even knew I was there or if they did I’m not sure they even knew or cared that I left.

 

[robwar]

The centrality of the MEGA Protestant Churches is Jesus - not the Sacraments, not Tradition, and not the Magisterium.

Though Catholics may view failure to embrace beyond Jesus as failure to receive fullness of the Faith, to intimate - as you have - that focusing exclusively on Jesus, as those churches do, is tantamount to bun and carbs, without the beef, is disappointing and uncharitable.

If fullness of the Faith leads Catholics to view their Christian brothers and sisters so simply, then that fullness of the Faith is noteworthy only for its arrogance.

Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI called and call for a New Evangelization. An evangelization directed toward Catholics, by Catholics, for a return to understanding core values.

May I suggest you catch the next lesson: Focusing on Jesus is the beef !

that is what I meant Jesus=beef and that beef is the Eucharist and I meant it as a joke in response to the Mc Church comparison which I did not make. I am not the one here complaining about Mega Churches and their beliefs which are quite various and do dependent much on the pastor. I came from Protestantism so I think you need to relax a little bit and not jump so quickly on someone trying to use some light hearted humor in an comparison mode

 

[robwar]

The is a very good book out called “Confessions of a Mega CHurch Pastor:” by Allen Hunt. the sub title is How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church.
he was a Methodist Minister in charge of a large Mega Church. While most of this thread is about non-denominational churches, Allen Hunt does give some insight in the dynamics of a mega church and how he ended up walking away from it all to become Catholic.

 

[robwar]

I attend a “mega” church because it had a ministry geared to singles over 40. Since I had lost my wife in 2005, I started attending there to get some fellowship with others who were single in my age group. I know probably a bad reason, but I was hurting just then and the smaller churches ignore people who are divorced or widowed and in need of healing. Sorry, but it is true. This church happens to be Southern Baptist, by the way. But my theology is definitely NOT Baptist, so I will every 4 weeks or so attend a smaller Anglican church in my area to receive the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Jesus. I am currently reading books by Scott Hahn by the way to get a better understanding of the Catholic Church. This mega church is not centered around the senior pastor. In fact he will often encourage the other pastors to preach so it doesn’t become a personality cult. He tries to center everything to Jesus, though I see them as lacking in sacramental theology. Not all mega churches are bad. But there are inherent problems just due to their sheer size.

I am sorry about your loss, even if it has been a few years, it is still is a major loss. Your reasons are not bad. You needed help and you were hurting and went somewhere to get fellowship and healing. I know that many Catholic diocese do have widow/widower groups that cover many churches. God bless you on your journey and maybe you could explore that option for yourself.

 

[Slinger]

My experience has shown that a “mega church” falls into 2 categories:

1. Those that are large due to a “celebrity” pastor and/or the cool building and amenities.
2. Those that are large because God’s word is taught and people are challenged.

Fortunately, I go to the 2nd but have witnessed examples of the 1st.

Here’s what makes up my church:
A pastor who knows he is God’s shepard but accepts that role humbly. He makes sure to point out to people that he is “just a man”. His messages come directly from the Bible and you are expected to open yours and take notes as he teaches. You are there to learn, not to have a pep talk.
A pastor who never asks for people to tithe or donate to a “building fund” (he occasionally teaches on the scriptural responsibility to tithe and the chance for people to give their financial offering is given but never emphasized. The pastor NEVER knows how much particular people give and has asked not to know.
ALL cafe and bookstore proceeds go to missions.
Assisting the community needs with spiritual and non-spiritual money, volunteers and programs. We are constantly helping out where we can and offering the large capacity of the building for things like being a hurricane shelter and feeding the community who has lost power, high school graduation events (for free), a place to house thousands of people for a local deputy’s funeral (who never attended our church - some examples).
There are large screens to project the stage to the audience and a pretty good sound system…but, it’s a big place with lots of people so it’s a necessity.
One thing too…our pastor mentions ALL THE TIME how we are not to invite people who already have a church home. We are to reach out to the lost… Actually, our pastor and leadership have great relationships with other area pastors and work together on reaching the community as a whole. Not everyone wants to be in a big church.

Hopefully, this helps you in not putting all large “mega church” kind of churches in a negative light.