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Mega-city churches.

May6, 2007                                                                

One of the questions I have often pondered is how the church can grow in a mega-city?  There are plenty of people for sure. In some ways the modern city is like the first city of refuge, Babel,  in that it is a place where people congregate for their security and livelihood. But mega-cities are at the same time scattered places. Distance, the tyranny of traffic, the isolation of high rise apartments, and the ubiquitous security defences tend to separate rather then bring people together.

How could the church grow in such an environment? With difficulty, is the short answer. The external and internal constraints are great. But before I get too far ahead of myself, some will ask why does the church need to grow? And which church are we talking about?

We could start with any local church. Does it need to grow? Does it want to grow? Some small churches want to grow so that they are big enough to sustain the kind of life that the members value. But once that size is reached the tendency is not to grow any more. Research indicates that traditional churches are unconsciously self-limiting. That is there is an optimum number beyond which a church will not grow unless a different pattern of life is developed.

This first major limit is related to relationships. And although this is partly to do with members having relationships with other members, in fact it is mostly connected with the members knowing and being known by the minister. There is a limit to the number of people who can become spokes in this minister-centric wheel.

Beyond that a different method is required. Most of these methods involve breaking up the congregation into units in which the same kind of relationship recognition can take place. Some churches focus on programs designed to meet the needs of particular interest groups – each with their own significant leader. Others develop extensive small group networks. Some combine either of these with large concert like meetings where the sense of belonging happens on a different level.

But it has yet to be shown that mega-churches are the way to grow the church in a mega-city. In fact growing the church may not be the best way to express the question because it leads us to think about particular congregations getting larger. While this is generally a good thing, the main question is not primarily about the church.

A better way to approach the question may be to ask how the disciples of Jesus can multiply in a mega-city, and if they did multiply, what would be the best way for them to meet as the church. But that will have to wait for next time.

Dale

Comments

An observation: Over my 18 years in Jakarta many of my friends have expressed "city-exhaustion" while living in Jakarta. While they were vibrant members of churches in past locations they have not become involved in a church in Jakarta. They often mentioned that in previous locations they could walk to church from home, that the expat community was much smaller and tightly knit, and that all of their friends went to the same church. Because many folks do not employ a driver on Sunday or because they view Sunday as the only time to get out of the city, attending church here is not a high priority. They say they prefer to pray and study the Bible at home.

Posted by Gina on Friday, May 4, 2007 at 02:25:14

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