Re: "Would You Like Fries With Your Communion?" An article on mega-churches -- <font size = "4">The Drunks Bar </font size "4">

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Date Posted: 21:41:28 06/14/01 Thu
Author: SM78
Subject: Re: "Would You Like Fries With Your Communion?" An article on mega-churches
In reply to: Dionysos Thriambos 's message, "Re: "Would You Like Fries With Your Communion?" An article on mega-churches" on 08:53:26 06/14/01 Thu

Speaking of butt-ugly, Marilyn Hickey's ministry is housed in a mega church just outside of Denver (Aurora, I think). It's not too mega as mega churches go, but it is big and ugly and looks like a mall. It has an enclosed center courtyard hung with the flags from the world over, a bookstore, a restaurant, and some other retail. It's jammed on Tuesday nights and you have to get there early if you want a seat for the taping. I think the fact that the sermons are taped and broadcast attracts people because they are part of television in some sense. They can turn on the service a week later and maybe even see themselves sleeping during the service as they warm a McPew and sing McHymms to the Risen Ronald who blessed the loaves and fishes and fed the 5,000 with Filet-O-Fish sandwiches.

The biggest mega Body o' Christ near me is Jack Hayford's Church on the Way in Van Nuys, CA. It's been there a long time and became one of the first mega churches in America in the early 1980's. It's hosted many church growth seminars. At least in a big church you can get lost in the crowd and are less likely to be gossiped about. True, you will never get in to see the Pastor. Most of what Robert Schuler has done for the past 30 years is to act as an architetural patron, construction manager, media super-Christian, and producer on inspirational books and tapes.
Interestingly enough, Schuler began preaching on Sunday mornings from the roof of the Orange Drive-In movie theater in Orange, CA. Parishoners would drive in on Sunday morning amdist the clutter of the previous night's movie showing, roll down their windows, put a speaker on the window, and listen to Schuler. It was a great idea because he built a congregation on the cheap. Only after his drive-in church gimmick -- which got him a hell of a lot of publicity nationwide -- did Shculer build a bricks and mortar church.
It was beautiful. Then he built another one -- the Crysyal Cathedral (and it is truly beautiful), on the same grounds.

Out where I live, all of the demoninations are extremely competitive and active, thus preventing any super churches.
Five new church buildings have been erected out here in the past three years with the Mormons especially robust in building these arenas of blood.

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Replies:

Schuler is the exception that proves the (arcitechtural) rule, no? (NT) -- D.Th., 22:22:54 06/14/01 Thu
- Yes he is -- SM78, 08:22:50 06/15/01 Fri
  - "a firey rebuke of Clinton" -- D.Th., 09:08:41 06/15/01 Fri