You might think this is a secular rock concert, but it it is not. This is worship time at Flatirons Community Church, near Denver, Colorado (photo credit: me!!).

I attend what many sociologists call a megachurch, generally a church where weekly attendance is around 2,000 or more. According to a 2014 survey done at Old Dominion University, the Williamsburg Community Chapel ranks just barely as a megachurch, of the 14 identified churches in this category in the greater Hampton Roads, Virginia area.

For the most part, megachurches are a uniquely modern phenomenon. They appeal particularly to families, looking for good youth programs for their kids, that smaller churches might not be able to provide. They offer a wide range of ministry activities for outreach to the poor and hurting, have typically a talented music ministry, and draw in gifted staff with good preaching and administrative skills.

Megachurches have their drawbacks as well. Despite the size of the crowds, it can be difficult to connect with people on a personal level. In my case, I can go for weeks without seeing longtime friends, simply because they sit in a different part of the worship room from me. Our church works to overcome this problem by emphasizing small groups. But that can be a hit or miss affair. It can be really intimidating walking into someone’s living room, among people you know very little, if anything, about. Questions flood our minds: Is this group the right fit? Are there people in the group who think like me, and share the same values? Finding the right small group can be difficult, and all it takes is one awkward encounter with one rough person in the group to scare one away from small groups.

I want to tell you about a visit that my wife and I took this past summer to a much bigger church, a “mega” megachurch in Colorado. I learned a lot of new things, about myself and about the state of evangelical churches in America. Continue reading