Earlier this week, I reflected on a visit to a Roman Catholic church. Today, I am putting down some reflections about a recent visit to a megachurch.

I read recently that some people are attending churches “undercover,” much like mystery shoppers who frequent restaurants and stores and report on their findings. I deplore the consumerist mindset that treats the church as just another company.

But I wonder if our churches might not benefit from “undercover” visitors who take stock of every aspect of the worship, looking for the message of the gospel? How many churches could we attend without hearing about Christ crucified? How many ”worship sets” do we sing that leave out the cross and resurrection? What view would one have of God if they sat through just one typical evangelical worship service? 

The irony you will soon discover in the following description of a megachurch visit is that the Roman Catholics read more Scripture in worship than we evangelicals do. And we’re the ones who believe sola Scriptura, right?

Here are some thoughts on my mega-church visit…

A service at this church is a massive endeavor which takes a tremendous number of volunteers and paid workers. Once we arrived at the entrance to the building, the doors were opened by greeters who said, “Good evening,” and “Hi, how are you?”. Once inside, another lady greeted us and told us she was glad that we were there. My wife and I made our way to the nursery wing, where we dropped off our son. The nursery is filled with volunteers that stay with the children during the service. Smiling ushers led us to our seats on the bottom floor in the towering auditorium.

The service began with a man who was leading the church in singing as he played the piano. He was joined onstage by several other people who sang as well. The orchestra and band were hidden down below the choir loft. The ushers that greeted us at the door were involved in serving Communion at the appropriate time. Some of the people on staff baptized new converts at one point during the service.

The senior minister preached the sermon and went down front afterwards to greet people coming forward at the invitation. Many other counselors, elders and ushers were involved in this part of the service as well. There were probably more than 500 total people working to make this service possible.

Several things strike me as being important to the planners of this worship service. First, professionalism is definitely a goal of the worship team and musicians. The music and singing from onstage is executed so well that no awkwardness exists at all. A strong sense of professionalism pervades the atmosphere. Everything done must be top-notch.

Another important factor for the planners is efficiency. The service begins and ends at a certain time, leaving little room for flexibility. It is amazing that so much is accomplished during this worship service within the time constraints of one hour.

Another important factor is outreach. The people are friendly to visitors and church members demonstrate a genuine caring attitude. The music was contemporary, and the sermon seemed relevant to believers and non-believers alike.

The auditorium is built like a 3-tiered stadium. Since it seats thousands of people it is very easy to feel lost within the massive space. There was a cross on the wall behind the stage, as well as a dove that signified the Holy Spirit. Other than these two wall fixtures, nothing would have communicated to an outsider that this was indeed a church sanctuary. The facility is immensely practical.

The décor matched the worship service, thoroughly contemporary and professional. The people who led the service seemed educated and at ease in their task of addressing so large a crowd. The printed materials were full color brochures which not only told about that evening’s worship service, but also about all the activities and programs that the church offers. Overall, all these factors create a sense of “aliveness.”

Everyone around us sang during the appropriate times. I noticed that most everyone took Communion when the plate was passed. People were very attentive to the pastor’s message. I have been in few churches where everyone seemed to be so utterly engaged in the program and in all that was taking place. People applauded when the baptisms were finished, signaling that everyone understood this as a crucial event in a person’s life.

I felt that Communion was taken reverently by the people around me, but since there was very little comment from the stage about the significance of Communion, I cannot describe the individual’s understanding of this ordinance. It seemed to be an intimate moment between the individual and God rather than a corporate event.

The way that this church took Communion is deficient for several reasons. First, there is no clear explanation of the significance of Communion. Neither is there any discussion about who is eligible to receive the elements. Secondly, a newcomer to the church would not know what to do in this situation. Communion takes place in the middle of the service, before the sermon. It is an intimate time of personal reflection. Little emphasis is placed on the corporate “coming together” at the table of the Lord.

Immediately following Communion is the ordinance of baptism. I must admit that I enjoyed the way that the service structure joined the two ordinances side by side in this way. Still, the lack of explanation of Communion’s significance needs to be addressed.

Every worship has a theology, be it sound or errant. The church’s worship service began with the song “Holy is the Lord God Almighty,” a song that speaks of how the earth is filled with His glory. From the start of the service, we were invited to worship a holy and powerful Creator God.

Another song was “God is Great,” about the awesomeness of God’s character. We sang “Amazing Grace,” which explained that salvation is by grace alone for wretched sinners.

“Made Me Glad” was taken directly from a psalm that speaks of what God has done for His children. Overall, I believe the songs chosen helped bring God’s transcendence into view, while the atmosphere of the church emphasized His imminence.

The church’s role in the life of a believer was most evident in the child dedication ceremony, when the parents committed to raise their children in the fear of the Lord and the church committed to assisting them in this God-given task. Even in a church this large, the covenantal aspect of church membership shined through in this moment.

The service’s climax is the pastor’s sermon. The Bible message is given preeminence over all other aspects of the service, including the singing. The sermon was very practical and accessible. People seemed to understand the pastor’s message and I saw many people nodding their heads in agreement.

The sermon explained both what salvation is, and who Jesus is. I must give credit to the pastor for crafting a sermon that explained the Holy Spirit’s power in the life of Stephen, while maintaining a strong evangelistic emphasis.

One of the songs was taken almost directly from a psalm. During Communion, Philippians 3:10-11 appeared on the large screen behind the stage. The pastor read selected portions from Acts 6-7 as the main text for his sermon. Besides the pastor’s reading, there was no other public reading of Scripture aloud.

The songs were uplifting and God-centered, so I did feel encouraged to praise God. The sermon was Bible-based, and God did speak to us through His Word.

The impression one gets from visiting this church is big! Everything is big, from the sound, the screens, the auditorium, to the sermon. It is easy to feel as if you are only a spectator and not a participant, due to the size of the crowd.

The worship service falls somewhere in between formal and informal worship style. The service itself is very structured, so it would be a mistake to consider it informal in its presentation, as if everything were spontaneous or off-the-cuff. At the same time, the atmosphere is informal. Some people are dressed casually, while others are dressed in suits and ties. The worship team was dressed in “snappy-casual” attire. This juxtaposition of structure and informality does not a create dissonance, however; instead, it seeks to make the service accessible to the greatest number of people possible.

I grew up in a Baptist church that was a little more traditional in its musical style. Still, I must say that I am familiar with this type of worship service. My home church follows a similar order of service, and the climax is the sermon there as well. I got the feeling that the church is something like what my home church would be if it were 20 times larger.

My wife and I enjoyed our visit to this mega-church. We both felt that the Spirit of God is at work in this community of believers. Even though there were some aspects of the service that we felt could be improved, we believe that this worship service was honoring to God in the way it centered on God’s character and taught about salvation as His gift of free grace to sinners.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2009 Kingdom People blog