I was part of a so called mega church for about 10 years. I had to leave because the church began to embrace the seeker friendly model developed by Rick Warren many years ago. The church migrated gradually away from sound doctrine towards woke social philosophy.

I recall the day I left and decided I’d never return. The pastor, hardly ever there because of church financed trips to Europe and New Zealand, yielded his pulpit to a couple who had just written a book about something that I can’t even recall. What I do recall is them standing in front of the pulpit where the Bible sat behind them…closed. They were preaching from their own book, weeping over what they had written because it was so profound and insightful🤮. They had literally turned their back on the Word of God. That is the day I turned my back on that…church.

Honestly, that day was a long time coming, but leaving a church is a big deal, particularly after having invested so much time, energy, and money. There are good reasons to leave a church, but that decision is not trivial.

After having left, the goal was to get to my roots of a small, local, neighborhood church that valued the Word of God, people, and the mission. I found one and over time realized there overall problem with the mega church model, and perhaps the western church model in general was…it’s the wrong model. Large regional mega churches were antithetical to the mission of the church.

What’s the Problem With Mega Churches?

Lack of discipleship is a primary concern since that’s in the mission set of the church along with preaching the gospel and witnessing for the Lord. If the model doesn’t support the mission, it’s the wrong model. It must be discarded for the sake of the mission.

Another concern I have is the effect mega churches have on the scriptural model of a small local church. Many of these vital small churches seeded in neighborhoods are destroyed when their people leave to become part of these regional churches. Thus the small churches are forced to close and the salt and light is removed from where it is most needed.

There is something protective about a spirit filled small church in a very localized context. Just the presence of God’s people in a neighborhood pushes back demonic darkness and deception. When the church moves out, the demonic moves in. And then we wonder why society has become so depraved and godless.

We need to get back to the small neighborhood churches that understand the needs of people in those neighborhoods. The presence and ministry of the church in the local context is good for these small communities. It’s much more focused and effective for prayer, evangelism, and witness.