Adam McLane

Dropping out of big church?

This morning on the YS blog I wrote about an impending crisis in rural churches in the United States. It was based on an excellent story in last week’s Time Magazine. Here’s the link.

So here’s what I see, call me crazy. I am curious if anyone else thinks the same thing.

1. Big churches getting bigger. This attracts the vast majority of talent out there. Most people I know in smaller churches would love to “move up” to a big church. Moreover, people seem to like the megachurch model. I don’t get it… but I can see how my friends really like it.

2. Big church pastors are one of three types of people. Either they are the alpha dogs who thrive on the hype and long for more production value, bigger numbers, and bigger Jesus. Or they are uber talented and feel like their big church misses the boat, misuses their talents, mismanages funds, etc. Or they grew up around that big church and now work there, they just love it because its all they know and they don’t have the education to get a job elsewhere. This is a gross generalization… but it’s merely for dramatic effect, ok?

So, here is what I’m wondering. I’m wondering if all of these middle people eventually get sick of the relative safety of their paycheck, reject the hype and production of big church, and decide that they will be bi-vocational rural church planters or pastors of all these churches who are lacking pastors.

Simply put, will these middle folks in jobs they need but don’t really like start dropping out of big church life to intentionally take on the smaller churches so desperate for a loving and qualified pastor?

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Adam McLane

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7 responses to “Dropping out of big church?”

  1. Jason Sansbury Avatar
    Jason Sansbury

    I can speak a bit of this from experience. I wish I had never left a smaller church where I served well to move up church-size wise. I was in a healthy place with good support in a small town. It was stable, healthy and solid. I trade it in chasing a larger paycheck for a church where I was eventually forced to resign because I didn’t fit with the new CEO-pastor’s idea of a youth staff person.

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  2. Dj Avatar
    Dj

    I know this is sorta off topic and for that I apologize…but what really bugs me most about mega churches is how much money they spend on stuff they don’t really need.

    I LOVE the way Francis Chan put it at the NYWC in Nashville when he was talking about how his church was doing the multi million dollar building thing. He said “Can’t we just meet outside on the lawn?”

    I visited a church in Florida and their “foyer” was ritzier than a 5 star hotel. I about vomited on the spot. Nothing says “the humility of Christ” like a 50 foot marble cross encrusted with gold trim in a fountain.

    Anyways…

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  3. tim Avatar
    tim

    There is a church that I know of that recently completed its fourth bookstore renovation but they still do not have a youth room. From so many aspects about that ministry, they desire to be a mega-church. Now, I’m not against big churches (or mega-churches). There are those that provide great ministries and in all honesty do great things for the Kingdom. I think what the frustration is for so many is that mega-churches are seen as a standard of success. We all know the countless stories of funds mismanaged, people being moved through like cattle, and staff that would transition to whoever was willing to pay for their talent. But there are great ministries out there. (For the record, I am not part of a mega-church). Before being hired into my present church, I interviewed at a couple large churches. There are a couple stories here that I’ll spare you from. Some churches wanted to hire me, some didn’t. While it does some good for the ego to know that you can get hired into some of these churches, you also learn that they’ll, more or less, pretty much hire anybody depending on the day. For us it became, where and what type of church we wanted to be a part of and raise a family in. As with most, my church isn’t perfect. I find myself envious of resources and facilities found in other places but what I really want is a place where we can be committed to God’s mission together. If a lot of people come, great, may we not lose sight of the mission and if few are gathered, great, may we not lose sight …

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  4. Jeff Moulton Avatar
    Jeff Moulton

    Adam – while I think some of what you hope does happen, I just don’t think it goes rural.

    I think generally what happens with that creative second group is that they find a new place where there is a better fit. Churches tend to be fairly homogeneous, so if there wasn’t a good fit in the first place, maybe the second place will be better.

    Rural communities are not a place to go looking for “variety” in homogeneity.

    Rural congregations can only be served by two kinds of people for the long term. The first is by someone who already fits the mold established in the church community (in many rural cases, identical to the geographic community). Their needs are met by the community because they are in essence much the same as the people in the community.

    The second is someone who is able to so subjugate their own needs to serve the needs of the community that they can survive in an area that really doesn’t have anything to offer them in return.

    Neither of those really describes the creative but mis-understood middle group of your example.

    Which is too bad.

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  5. adam mclane Avatar
    adam mclane

    Jeff- agreed. It doesn’t sound all that likely.

    But I think there could be hope for this if there were a couple of factors present.

    a. If the highly qualified, creative middle person feels like he/she will have friends doing the same thing. Such as, if you have 2-3 friends doing the same thing in relatively close proximity, it would be bearable.

    b. it became cool.

    I do agree with a few of the comments about rural culture being hesitant. Having spent most of my career in small towns I know that the politics gets old in a hurry. (Don’t even get me started about living in rural NorCal!)

    I think what I’m envisioning is that these “drop outs” wouldn’t attempt to bring “big city church” to the small communities. They would just focus on the basics of ministry and enjoy the ebbs and flows of it. Weddings, funerals, counseling, visitation, preaching. To drop out would be a rejection of the programmatic church altogether.

    It’s just a random “wouldn’t it be cool” deal.

    My other thought… and I think of this every time I hear of a new hip church plant… is “why don’t cool people plant churches in the country?” IMHO those “hip plants” are typically planted in rich areas… which reveals the heart of the matter. They aren’t planting where there is a great need. They are planting where they think they can prosper.

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  6. Nicky Avatar
    Nicky

    Hi lovely people,

    I’m so glad I “stumbled” onto this site.
    Even more intrigued by the title of this topic. Especially since I’m facing a huge debate within my head and heart about my church…. culture if you want to call it that.

    I have been a born again believer since 14 Nov 1999 and love the Lord with all my heart. However, I’m … falling out of love with the big church I am planted in.

    My love for God has not grown cold, in fact it has done nothing but increase but I am questioning the entire structure of the way things are going within the pentecostal/charismatic big church “culture”.

    I feel LESS money should be spent on building these huge buildings and more should be invested in the poor. I don’t want to sound legalistic but according to the Word, that’s what we should be doing – not so… ? Anybody … ?

    Additionally, we should be preaching repentance and not creating a bless me club. I’m just being totally honest – PLEASE, feel free to comment. I’m really open to it and honestly have come here to post in the hope of finding answers (which I will go to the Lord with) but some counsel would be great.

    Oh yes, my .. BIG church would like me to come on staff. I love God. I love His people. I love His work. I’m just not sure that everybody is headed in the same direction and seeking to preach the gospel in the way that I believe we’re instructed.

    Ok – now go for it 🙂

    Reply
  7. Daudi T. Msimbe Avatar
    Daudi T. Msimbe

    Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ ,

    It is my hope your well and you continue better with God’s work. Also we are together spiritually and freshly. We continue better with God’s work.

    I ‘m pastor Daudi Thomas Msimbe and my wife Georgina we are Founders & Directors of a church of Great Vision Pentecostal and Ministry of People Shipping Centre (by leadership of the holly spirit) since 2003 we started this work of God and now we have six years in the ministry , but now is already registered by country laws.

    Our registration number is so. 14120. Also we have no permanent place
    for worshiping God. We have some place we pay for every month.

    The purpose of this letter to you servant of God is to need friendship (please read the book of Malachi 2:7) So that to be have benefit together in the body of Christ and God’s work continue forward means all we are unity in body of Christ(1 Corinthians 12:7,12-27) I and My church and I we need Contacts So that we need saving God with you together
    .
    Thank you for your cooperation between you and our ministry.

    We expect you to give us your program and ways how to to do the work of God, And if possible to send kinds of spiritually books and tracts for evangelism. Also we need financial support for church and ministry expenses. We also live with two orphans we give them all basic needs including education.

    So that the work of God can continue well and growth because I know our country is peacefully Greet all believers in the name of the Lord (1 Thess 5:26) first of all we need your prayers.

    You are most welcome to Arusha Tanzania in East Africa

    Have a blessed day

    Senior Pastor Daudi Thomas Msimbe

    Founder & Director

    GVPC & MPSC

    P.O Box 13437 Arusha-Tanzania

    Tel:+255 754 22 84 77
    +255 755 56 54 73
    +255 787 14 78 33

    Reply

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