Why go to a mega-church?

I attend one of the larger churches in Sydney, Australia, and friends that attend smaller churches often wonder why I would find the mega-church experience satisfying. My simple answer is that is where I was saved (i.e. found God) and thus where I attend. However there is far more to the mega-church experience than most people assume. For one thing there is a plethora of ministries within it that can engage people in a more specialised way than a smaller church could afford to. For example offering courses to help people with drug addictions, problems with sexual sin or marriage breakdowns.

The New York Times recently published an article discussing how a recent survey found that Americans are changing faiths/denominations at an increasing rate. Whilst the overall article is interesting, this quote reinforces my point:

“The trend is toward more personal religion, and evangelicals offer that,” said Mr. Prothero, chairman of the religion department at Boston University, who explained that evangelical churches tailor many of their activities for youth. “Those losing out are offering impersonal religion and those winning are offering a smaller scale: mega-churches succeed not because they are mega but because they have smaller ministries inside.”

At the same time the onus is on larger churches to not lazily plan mega-events (which are relatively easy to centrally control) but to empower and support smaller ministries, whilst ensuring that standards and culture meet those of the larger church. I'm proud to say that I think the guys running my church have got this nailed, but it's a dynamic equilibrium, and as such requires constant monitoring to ensure it is done right whilst allowing people breathing space to get things wrong and be individually creative.