Mega vs Small churches
Mega vs Small churches
I attend a small church now. I have attended Mega churches and my experience was not as positive as it has been in the smaller churches. I found that in Mega church, it was difficult to get to know people, because it was so large that you could sit in the same place every Sunday and go to a smaller Sunday school, but the people you met each week were different people from the week before. The Mega churches tended to have a more "entertainment" type of service as well. That is probably a gross generalization of Mega churches, there are probably many that don't go for the entertainment line.
The pros of the Mega Church :
-financial security of the church
-more people to serve in different ministries
-more "programs" for different age groups, i.e. adults, -children,nursery, singles, divorce care, etc..
-more ministers to divide up the pastor's responsibilities
-more money for special projects like TV program, outreach, missionary funding, etc.
Cons of the Mega Church:
-loss of intimacy between members
-lack of knowledge of the needs of members
-lack of knowledge/identification of those who are in the
church but are not Christians (some attend to meet women/men- I call them "trollers" - or they have other reasons to attend but are not really believers)
-there is a quantity of activity but quality may suffer
Small Church Pros:
- members are familiar with each others lives
- members notice when someone is not there and follow up
-members get to "know you" so when something is wrong with you or a family member, they feel more comfortable asking if they can help you
- fewer "programs" but perhaps better quality since you know the members more intimately you may also know spiritual needs better and can focus on those needs more specifically
- a feeling of "family" is built between members
Small Church Cons
-fewer people to minister
-children's programs tend to suffer
-pastor has more to do than he can handle
-finances are a concern