I’ve heard much about this church, likely the largest in the area, and am guarded over having too high of expectations. It’s an adventure just getting inside, with a policeman directing traffic and a parking lot crew to rival the best amusement park.
Using cutting-edge technology and exuding excellence in what they do, today is a treat. In the auditorium, the worship team of eight gathers up front. The countdown clock hits 0:00 and the worship leader welcomes us.
After an opening song set, one of the co-pastors comes up to share and pray. Then we watch video announcements, professional productions that command attention.
The church is in the midst of a series on leadership, with the premise that God calls us all to be leaders in our personal and professional lives.
Drawn from scripture, today’s message is most applicable to church leaders and is easily adaptable to business leaders.
Although the teaching is engaging, I have trouble understanding how it pertains to everyone else.
As the minister wraps up his message, a slide appears, asking everyone to “remain seated during the altar call.”
This confuses me, but I later realize the request is to keep people from leaving prematurely and distracting others who need to hear what the pastor says.
People raise their hands to rededicate their lives to Jesus and the pastor prays for them as a group. For those wanting to make a decision to follow Jesus, he leads them in prayer.
After the service, we turn in our visitor card and receive a tour of their grand facility. Our guide challenges us to come back for the next twelve weeks and see how our faith grows in the process.
[Read about Church #50 and Church #52, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #51.]
My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
2 replies on “A Megachurch (Visiting Church #51)”
This is probably our church of five years. We loved it. It is magnetic. but after all those years, we had few friends from there. Had we been willing to make the long drive to belong to a small group. That would have made a huge difference.
We don’t fault them for that, they wanted us to, but time and distance drove us to a small local church where we feel they really care about us as individuals. This is a church body for now. I will always want to visit and do keep up with them on line regularly. You are right, they do many things right.
You are so right. Making meaningful connections at church and forming friendships is critical!