The Wal*Mart of Christianity

The United States in the past 20 years has seen a large growth of "Mega Churches," congregations of 2000 or more attending members. The average attending membership is slightly over 4000. The number of Christians associated with Mega Churches has surged from 200,000 in 1990 to over 8 million in 2008.

Mega churches are tending toward non-denominalization. From 2000 to 2008 the number of mega churches associating with a particular Protestant denomination has declined by half. The reason for this is quite simple. Mega churches need members. Their budgets eclipse community churches by a huge margin and they are very dependent upon growth. Denominal affiliation limits this growth to just those Protestant denominations within its ideology. By crossing over the denominational barriers they are expanding their reach to many more potential members.

Strangely, the mega churches do not appear to be very good at bringing in new Christians. They are growing at a time when Christianity as a religion is on the decline. What they are good at is siphoning off Christians from other denominational churches. They have done an excellent job of catering to differing views by compartmentalizing their structures. While the congregation may meet for services in huge arena size halls or via satellite and the Internet, they are generally organized into much smaller units for other church activities. It is at these smaller levels that the community gains its personal touch that is essential for any religious cohesion.

The Mega Church phenomenon is not unique in American culture. It is a mirror of the Wal*Mart strategy in business. Wal*Mart uses its size and economy of scale to overpower all its local "mom and pop" competitors. When a Wal*Mart comes to town it offers convenience and professionalism along with services and pricing that simply cannot be met by its much smaller competitors. Gradually, customers flock to Wal*Mart and the mom and pops disappear. This is the Mega Church strategy minus pricing. There really isn't any single thing the Mega Churches offer that the community churches are lacking. Rather, they do everything on a larger scale with more convenience. Where a community church may have a nursery with a church volunteer caring for the toddlers each Sunday, a Mega Church has a staff and all the amenities. Community churches scramble if that volunteer happens to get sick. Mega Churches do not have this concern. Community churches may have a small library and a few funds for extra curricular activities such as sporting events and outings. Mega Churches have a full library, book stores, audio libraries, and sporting leagues. They also have the funds to sponsor a larger range of outside events and can attract popular speakers and Christian entertainers. Community churches have no way of matching these services.

The mega churches grew out of the tele-evangelistic ministries that became popular in the 1980s. As such, they suffer from many of the same problems. They become a lightening rod for attention. A misstep by a minister in a community church is lucky to make the local evening news. When a mega church pastor or tele-evangelist gets caught up in a sex or financial scandal it makes worldwide news and draws a level of criticism and skepticism that can be very damaging. They exist in a fish bowl with a lot of eyes upon them. Since they are not helping to grow Christianity their only advantage appears in making Church attendance more convenient for existing followers.