"The Megachurch"

A megachurch is defined as a Protestant Christian church with an average of 2,000 attendees on a typical weekend. The term was birthed in the south, where church is still very much a way of life. These churches are funded heavily by donations and free of taxation. One example, Lakewood Church, is run by Joel Osteen in Houston, Texas. Osteen’s church averages around 52,000 attendees per week. The venue itself was formerly home to NBA basketball team the Houston Rockets.

In our home state, these churches are everywhere. While many still prefer the smaller chapel environment, it seems like people also tend to end up at these bigger church communities. One family told me that their church even had its own Starbucks. In college I would make extra money by proctoring AP tests for high school students every year in May. The schools had to use local churches in order to house the high number of students. In my own experience, I saw a bible-themed playground that ascended three floors (yes it looked awesome), a daycare center with professional audio/visual equipment, and “main venues” that well-known musicians wouldn’t be able to fill on their own. On Sundays in high school, the local movie theater was rented by another pastor. The crazy thing is, these weren’t even the “big” ones.

So what makes these churches so popular? I find it hard to believe that peer pressure is even a remote factor, though I’m sure that’s the case for many families. These churches can’t function without attendees that donate their hard-earned money, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one shutting down. People who attend these megachurches often admit that they don’t feel close to their community, or their god for that matter, when in attendance. Without the community, the only answer that seems to be a common thread is the pastor. As I mentioned before, religion and faith are very emotional for people. Whether we are looking for strength to push through hard times, or simply a sense of belonging, people in need of something “more” tend to find refuge in the church. The pastor is the one who communicates these emotions to their attendees. They essentially serve as a medium communicating his/her god’s word to the people. People don’t go to these churches for the arena experience, they go to see the one on stage. They want to hear him just as badly as the thousands of other people that show up on Sunday.

So what creates the appeal for a megachurch pastor? What makes Joel Osteen seem like a better representation of God than a humbled elderly man in a small chapel? Part of this revolves around our culture. When the idea of church became less appealing in the 80’s and 90’s, the church had to fight to stay relevant. It’s not solely the pastor, though we will get back to that very soon. The megachurch is an experience. It features high tech visuals, sound, etc. It’s no coincidence that these services look like rock concerts, because that’s entirely what they are modeled after. But this isn’t just a place to see a band play your favorite songs; this is a place where you’re given purpose and direction and, in the end, guaranteed an all-inclusive eternal reward when you die. Getting into heaven never looked, sounded, or felt more real. If you are a religious person, but found traditional church somewhat uneventful, this was the answer.

Beyond the revamped churchgoing experience, megachurches operate as their own university. My wife’s church has several “campuses” around the city. They offer a number of different groups and clubs, as well as a newcomer class for those who choose to join. When I browse their website, I see a lot about the church. I see their name everywhere. What I don’t see is anything mentioning Christ or the Bible. This is something I had seen previously mentioned when I looked up online reviews.

Yelp reviews for my wife’s former church all celebrate the head pastor, save for the reviews submitted after October 2017 following his departure. One review from 2014 stated that as soon as you entered the church, you fell in love with this pastor. Another review applauds their cutting edge sound system. One submission mentions driving 74 miles one way just to hear this man speak, while another notes that his sermons were a staple of the church’s success. This is true. A pastor must be charismatic, wise, and appeal to people’s emotions. One look at these Yelp reviews shows that this pastor was more than that. He seems to be a larger-than-life figure. I remember my wife saying in October 2017 that while she was in high school, one of his sermons inspired her to donate all of the $300 she had to her name.

How and why is this? The most sensible answer is that the church needs to do this in order to survive. Religion is not a business, though in many ways a church has to function like one. These organizations have accountants, secretaries, managers, etc. to keep things running. But a strong administrative sector isn’t what keeps people going to a church and donating their money; it’s the pastor.  The pastor is the face of the church. His words are seen by many attendees as that of god, communicating through a man they can see, hear, and feel.

I believe that there are truly good “megachurches” out there. I believe that these churches, like any other religious organization, can do amazing things for millions of people. I believe that even my wife’s church was good at one point. It very well may still be; I only know what I’ve been told. Despite everything I have heard, I’ve failed to figure out what made a man that started one of the most successful churches in the city leave so abruptly? Many saw this coming, and the pastor stated publicly that it was time for a break. Not long afterwards, his wife filed for divorce. My wife was asking questions, but nobody seemed to want to answer. Even her parents insisted that it was best to leave this all alone.

As an outsider, I could not help but wonder what people were hiding. Why weren’t people trying to figure out what was going on behind the scenes? What was it that made everyone afraid to answer my wife’s questions? This did not seem normal to me. When someone people love goes away, there is a need for closure. But this time no one seemed to have closure, nor were they able to offer it.

In my next posts, I'm going to see who I can talk to about what happened, as well as the history of the church itself. This is the first of many posts and the beginning of a long journey.