Budget-driven?

Megachurches can tend to be very budget-driven. When a church has to pay the salaries of hundreds of full-time staff members, and the mortgage on (tens or even hundreds of) millions of dollars in real estate and buildings, the church can find itself striving to keep the books in good shape. This can result in the compromising of principles in order to be more "welcoming" to newcomers, to get more people in the door, to maintain their tithing base, because it certainly doesn’t look good to have to lay off staff. Megachurches have a significant responsibility to their body, to their community, and the mission field outside their community. However, they sometimes don't effectively shoulder this responsibility. I believe that having a huge budget can make a church FEEL as though they are "doing more good" and "reaching more people" (pat-pat-pat on the back) but I wonder if you were to break it down based on membership, there are some megachurches that I doubt make much more difference than a small church body of 100. You could argue that megachurches have a lesser percentage of tithing members, but still…when the annual budget is in the tens of millions...? I believe they should carry a much greater proportional share of the burden of serving the community in which they are located. There is a vast chasm between what you can accomplish with a monthly budget of $1000 a month and $500,000 a month. I would rather see a larger church be willing to commit a larger percentage to outreach based on their monthly or annual budget.

If a church doesn't make a point of sharing with the body the ways in which it reaches the community, it will be easy for members to not be aware of these things. While I'm not advocating "back-patting", I think a regular informational bulletin or some such thing, outlining the different outreach ministries and the funds allocated to support those ministries, would be insightful for members. I would also like to see the larger churches partnering with smaller ones in their community.

I believe that outreach and missions (primarily local, not necessarily overseas) should be a higher focus than issues of "self". By "self" I mean the messages and classes and programs that focus on our own worth, healing from past pain, finding our purpose and how to be a healthier Christian. I strongly believe this is putting the cart before the horse. I wonder if we were to shepherd church members into roles of service, (and not just plugging them into the ministry that needs the most help, but taking time to help them find their "niche") and disciple them in having a servants heart (not because they are supposed to serve, but because our service to others is the way in which Christ ministers to us), they would gain a greater understanding of their place in the body and their value as a child of Christ.

I know from personal experience that I never felt better about myself from taking classes designed to teach me my false belief systems about myself, my worth to the Lord, my purpose, calling or spiritual gifts. If anything, I felt increasingly guilty that these classes and programs never made me feel better. I was certain that there was something terribly wrong with me that these classes weren't able to address. In a way, I was right. These classes weren't able to address my need to feel valued. That can only be filled by Christ.

It wasn't until I began to serve and care for others, and have relationship with them, that I learned my value to Jesus, and the ways in which He wanted to use me. Now I have a much healthier understanding of the "Kingdom of God" and what He would have my role in it be.