Sometimes, certain kinds of information is more than you really want to know. But then again, it's better to have your concerns confirmed and know what you’re dealing with.
Optimedia, Inc., is a leading market researcher that surveys various aspects of the Church Growth industry. God’s Church is an industry??? Maybe so... read on.
Optimedia set out to discover the secret behind fast growing mega-churches. You know, the church that started just around the corner from the small struggling church you’ve attended for years. Their first Sunday... they draw 500 and a year or two later they’re attracting thousands. How does that happen? Optimedia’s research uncovered some alarming and disturbing findings.
What Optimedia found challenges the conventional wisdom that people are flocking to churches because they’re spiritually starved and hungering for God. The findinds also have some very large churches hot around the collar.
Here’s a short synopsis of the basic discovery: the fastest growing churches depend on the least involved, least motivated, and least engaged Christian believers. Ouch... keep that info to yourself!
Optimedia’s study, examined 2,000 American churches of 1,000 members or more – including 28 United Methodist congregations, along with other denominational groups – interviewing dozens of recent members in each. Of the 76,000+ participants, 1-in-9 (11% or about 8,500) become deeply and actively involved in the life of the church. Approximately 55% (42,000+) drift away into inactivity within 18 months.
The research revealed this disheartening reality of the mega church phenomenon ... very few are involved in the activities of the church... the majority are just going through the motions, hanging out on the social fringes of whatever the church offers that doesn't require personal commitment or involvement. Quoting one of the research analysts... “This is what we found in the vast majority of high profile ‘premiere’ churches – a whole lot of disinterested spectators.”
When you talk to the guys in charge, the senior preacher and ministry team leaders – you hear a wonderful milk & honey story of success. It’s all sunny, rosey and a blessing of God. When you talk to the people in the pews... it’s like they’re talking about completely different churches.
Mega church leaders are critical of the surveys findings, calling it a hack job. Their defense... the researchers just didn’t talk to the right people. The leaders say the researchers ignored the 10% (of the people) who are on fire for God, to focus on the 90% who are more like consumers of a product. "It isn’t a fair picture,” says a leader from Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston Texas, an internationally known mega church. His retort... “We have an audience and we have a congregation – they only talked to people from our audience.”
Optimedia’s response... “We talked to everybody. Our sample size is enormous – over 75,000 individual interviews in person or by phone. What many people don’t realize is that we wanted to test for success. We’re not trying to paint an intentionally negative picture... just true reality. This is not what we expected, either.”
The research indicates that the vast majority (80+%) prefer:
Anonymity – they like the size of a church that allows them to be invisible
Quality performance – they like good music, funny sermons, a fast pace, and high energy
Affirmation – they want to leave feeling better about themselves than when they arrived
No pressure – they don’t like people ‘pushing’ them into small groups, giving money, service projects, or ‘churchy’ activities
Focus on activities for children and teenagers – love our kids, love us.
Comfort – nice seats, bright, clean spaces, great equipment and technology score big points.
Among key dislikes:
Long services – the rigorous demands of television mean that the service stays short.
Strangers – being singled out and ‘greeted’ is uncomfortable for 4-out-of-5 respondents.
Demanding sermons – ‘heavy’ messages, ‘deep’ theology, ‘guilt trips,’ and highly intellectual messages are big turn-offs.
Old – old buildings, old furniture, old people, old hymns, old stories, etc. Anything old feels low quality.
So is the Mega Church a response to a hungering and craving for the Lord, His Kingdom and a desire to live an obedient holy life? Probably not, at least not for the majority of so-called mega church members. The number one reason people give for leaving these mega churches is that the church started making demands on them. The basic message Optimedia heard was this: “I come to church for me. When I can find a church that serves my needs, makes me feel good, and doesn’t expect anything in return, I will make that my church home." These are the people who are redefining what it means to be a church.
Is this what happens when people don't see God as Holy? Is this what happens when people fail to have a deep awe and reverence for the Holy God? Yes... I am afraid that is the situation.
Nice work Satan. Great job!
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