Megachurches

I didn’t know you had them in Oz - I thought they were an American thing.
Not that I’m a churchgoer, but if I were I think I’d find them weird and off-putting, too.

Witzend

I didn’t know you had them in Oz - I thought they were an American thing.
Not that I’m a churchgoer, but if I were I think I’d find them weird and off-putting, too.

Hillsong was founded in Australia and has churches in many other countries.

I don't know a lot about them but am always rather suspicious of these modern evangelistic movements.

Christianity Today is a reputable source as far as I know.

www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/may-web-only/hillsong-church-music-sing-worship-scandal-documentary.html

the same psychological techniques that are used in marketing and sales are employed to great success.
we live in such a consumerist society in the richer part of the world that we are pre-programmed to respond to these approaches.
they peddle it as a wise investment, give something to get something.
just like a commercial transaction.
this church is bigger and better, washes whiter.
god favours us, hence our success.
you join to our success; and give generously.
that's my take on it.

I would run a mile from any church that employed any version of "god favours us, hence our success" as a recruitment spiel. That was NOT the message of the original founder of Christianity.

I’d never heard of them before. Certainly not to my taste. I don’t go for the happy clappy style. Give me the peace and quiet of an old church and the BCP any day.

But how often do you actually go to the quiet church?

I think there are definite both pros and cons to a megachurch.

How often does anyone go?

It strikes me that GN does have several people who go.

But the old quiet church style does not seem to suit many under the age of 40. Or even 50.

Our parish church has a service every other Sunday. It’s very close to me and always open during daylight hours.

It’s not only people of my generation who attend. Going to church is something of a country tradition.

I agree.
Glad different ages attend.

I would say that around here, for a 30 mile radius, I have not heard of a church that is not evangelical, that has a significant number of under 40s attending.

I wouldnt mind guessing it is more like 50 miles.

I live rurally.

You are probably right, fancythat, though even traditional churches often have a monthly family service which attracts a few, or more, younger people, or perhaps do a midweek event called “ messy church”. But most have dropped out once their children are over the age of 9 or 10.
Many of my friends are church goers, but almost all our children have stopped going, once sport, park run, family days out, visits to grandparents etc takes up their time on Sundays.
I too fail to understand the attraction of the style of these mega churches, but numerically they do seem to be successful.

It may have to do with the community, how they bond and activities they do together (beyond masses and other religious ceremonies)

Any kind of organized religion makes me run a mile. I can see the attraction of small quiet country churches but these huge places seem so comercialised.

I went to one once when one of my daughters got baptised. It was actually a baptist church, not pentecostal but I really found it hard to cope with. She has since left that church and goes to a quiet Presbyterian one with a much smaller congregation. Churches as a whole are alive and well here, whatever the brand. A few disappeared in the 1980 s but there is a bit of a revival now. There are at least 6 within a couple of kms from us, all thriving and surviving. Perhaps because of the number of migrants from all over the world?

Good to hear nanna8

I have not been to Hillsong.
I have been to a church that has about 800 people per service, 3 services on a Sunday.
Had a lot of students attending. But not sure that is called a megachurch.

Like all churches, larger ones need to be careful they keep God at the centre of them. Not the music in itself, nor the social aspect only.

Personally I find them off putting, Too commercial and on the whole don’t trust the true motives of those running them. I like a church to be welcoming and quiet except for the hymns.

Sinister but I find all organised religion sinister.

biglouis

Any kind of organized religion makes me run a mile. I can see the attraction of small quiet country churches but these huge places seem so comercialised.

As an atheist, I concur.

However, I have spent many, many hours in "small quiet country churches" - those that are still open all hours allowing people to just quietly sit and meditate. If the church has a burial ground, it's interesting to walk around and look at the headstones and think about all those departed souls who used to live locally.

They are an oasis of calm. When I lived with my mother for a while in rural Lincolnshire, I worked with the volunteers to keep the village church clean and polished, and filled with fresh flowers when occasion demanded it. It had a huge kitchen attached, at Christmas everyone attended the 11pm service and then congregated in the kitchen for mulled wine and mince-pies before walking home (most did walk rather than drive) with torches and lanterns because there was no lighting along the country lanes.

Very Thomas Hardy! A way of life, very English, and something that must be preserved as part of our culture (IMO), atheist or not. I have no idea why it matters to me, but it does!

Hate them. My grandson and that side of the family are heavily involved in one in the next city. I have been a couple of times and the atmosphere is like a nightclub, loud guitars and ‘singing’, with flashing lights. Seems based around the personalities of the leaders and it all makes me very uncomfortable. I hope it’s kosher 😁 My GS has been a member for a long time and hasn’t changed, he’s still lovely, but I don’t trust them.

I hardly trust my own RC church, but give me quietness any time. I love to go in at random times and just sit and meditate.

I’m completely at the other end of the spectrum and love a ‘house church’ where people of all faiths and none can come together and discuss Christianity. A simple meal, maybe some wine (other drinks are available 😁), along with respectful conversation, makes for a very lovely, and sometimes lively, evening.

I agree with you, grannyactivist! I used to belong to a lovely very well attended (CofE!) church for many years. It had really good links to the local community; ‘all faiths or none’ as you say in your post. I was actively involved and ran the tinies Sunday School group, and helped with holiday clubs, church camping trips (yes really-great fun!) and social activities. When I moved away I sadly found my local church to be old fashioned, poorly attended and not willing to move forward and embrace the new. So I now attend a local Free Church, which although it has a small congregation, is far more progressive without being overtly evangelical. Sad to say, I do think that the C of E has lost its way somewhat. I hope that this joke of an Archbishop of Canterbury will not hold his post for too much longer as I think that his ‘leadership’ is extremely poor at the best.

They are a great place to meet other young people with similar values and are not new.

In my youth I found a few boyfriends at Methodist Central Hall and the cross-London Sunday evening gathering at All Souls Langham Place.

Ah, happy days😁

I’m not at all religious now.

nanna8

Just watching a documentary on Hillsong, a mega church here in Australia. I was wondering why these churches are so popular, especially among the young. I don’t like them, personally, because there is too much razzamatazz for me and so many of them seem to end up with abuse both financial and emotional. I find them quite frightening but obviously many disagree and love them.

Sounds similar t any organised religion really, think of the mega riches in the catholic church and the abuse by priests.

biglouis

Any kind of organized religion makes me run a mile. I can see the attraction of small quiet country churches but these huge places seem so comercialised.

Yes, same here.