Welcome to Tuesday Mornings, a source of encouragement and inspiration for Christian leaders everywhere.

 

It wasn't Jesus who said, "Build it, and they will come." In fact, Jesus didn't even say, "Build it." He said, "I will build my church, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18 NKJV) I think, sometimes, that we edit the meaning of scripture to suit our marketing strategy. It's easier to say "My church," than it is to say "Christ's church" or even "His church." If we say, "My church," everyone seems to understand what we mean. No follow-up questions are needed. But if we say," Christ's Church," all kinds of questions pop up, and rightly so.

 

So, whose church is your church? Who owns it? Who planted the vision in the hearts of the people to locate the property, purchase the land, and then build upon it? Who called the pastor to be minister of the congregation? To whom does your congregation answer? To you? Hopefully not, whatever your title. If your church is Christ's church, accountability lines are clearly drawn. They might even be included in the church's mission statement. That would be nice.

 

Today's epistle is entitled, "Mega-Something Churches." It's not intended to be a slap at large churches. I attend and support a large church myself. I enjoy the diverse ministries that a large church employs. I enjoy the multi-gifted pastors who lead the church. No Sunday service is boring. The preaching is excellent. And the music? Don't complain to me about the orchestra or the choir or their musical presentations. You didn't like last Sunday's offertory? Wait until next Sunday; it will feature someone else.

 

Personally, I'm not into bands and worship teams, but if you are—good for you! I'm even less into standing for mega-minutes while we sing words projected on the wall, but if you are—good for you! I love mega-churches, but not everyone is drawn to them. If you prefer a smaller congregation where everyone calls everyone else by their first names and folk hang around to talk and hug well past noon on most Sundays, good for you! All of these things can happen at Christ's Church. That's why we call it "His Church." It's all about His people, not about big buildings and huge parking lots.

 

This epistle is not an apologetic about anything. What it is is a reality check. Continue reading below whenever you are ready. And be prepared to answer the question, "Whose church is your church?" Yes, it will be asked on the final exam.

 

Have a mega-week. I believe that means "great." Or something like that.

 

Tom Barnard

A Senior Encourager

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Mega-Something Churches

Tom Barnard

 

refixes have invaded our vocabulary. Everyone uses them. Even computer hackers have added them to their collection of slang expressions. Did you know there are at least 8 prefixes that end with the word “byte”? “Kilo,” “Mega,” and “Giga” are the most common ones. They are followed by “Tera,” “Peta,” “Exa,” “Zetta,” and “Yotta.” If you haven’t started using these terms yet, get ready. It’s part of the new wave. Doesn’t that just bless your heart?

 

“Kilo” comes from the Greek khiloi and means 1000. Fair enough. But the next four prefixes on the list are either descriptive or mythological—take your pick. “Mega” comes from the Greek mega and means “great.” “Giga” comes from a Latin word gigas and means “giant.” And “Tera” comes from the Greek word teras and roughly means “monster.”

 

Only one of these mystical prefixes relates to the contemporary church. So far, at least. The term we all use is Mega, as in Mega-Church. No clear definition distinguishes Mega-Churches from other churches, but we can all agree that when it comes to church size, “mega” means “great.” It has to do with size, but not necessarily with quality. Too bad, actually. I wish we could talk about “greatness” and mean something other than the number of people who fill the pews on Sunday.

 

I have no complaint about using the term, “Mega-Church,” to describe a church’s size. But please, let’s add a disclaimer—let’s admit that the term relates to the size of a congregation or to the variety of ministries it produces, not necessarily to the essence of what that church really is all about.

 

In his book, Day by Day with William Barclay (Hendrickson Publishers, 2003), the late New Testament commentator tells a story about a young British agriculturalist named Lewis Cameron, who once visited friends in Aberdeen. They invited Cameron and his lady friend to attend the Sunday evening service at a United Free church, where Dr. A.W. Scuddamore Forbes was scheduled to preach. According to the story, there were only about forty people present that evening, in a church that could seat a thousand. Dr. Forbes preached on the text, “Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” Suddenly the preacher laid aside his manuscript and said, “Why are all these pews empty? The people like Jonah have fled from the presence of the Lord, refusing to face his challenge. Why are our divinity (schools) empty? Young men are more concerned about their own material advantages and selfish pleasures than with the advancement of the Kingdom of God!”

 

Barclay then said, “In that moment something happened to Lewis Cameron, and he decided to enter the ministry. A church of forty in a church seating a thousand—but at that service one man’s life was changed.” That sounds strangely like evangelism, doesn’t it?

 

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought that is what Jesus had in mind when he challenged his followers with a “Commission” that would change their lives, as well as ours to this day. Jesus did not say that he would “build his church” to produce countless numbers of programs, but that he would “build his church” to produce countless numbers of believers, and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it! He did not challenge his followers to build buildings and campuses, but to disciple the un-discipled.

 

I want to call this a “reality check.” Wherever you are today—whatever you are doing at this very moment—ask the Lord if what you are doing matches up with what He wants you to do for Him. It may change your life. And it might change the vision of your church—even one that seats a thousand or so. Let “mega” stand for something other than the number of people who show up on Sunday mornings.