A good church hits differently on different sundays. Sometimes you’re encouraged, sometimes you’re convicted, sometimes you leave feeling lifted up, sometimes beat up. This is how it should go. We aren’t growing to measure up to a secular standard, we are growing to measure up to a holy one
No, this isn't how it should go. If you leave feeling beat up then the law has convicted you of your sins, but you have not received the assurance that Christ died on a cross to atone for your sins. He was beat up for your sins so that you don't have to be. That is the essence of the gospel. That would be like going to a doctor and being told that you have a serious disease and then being sent home without any mention of how the disease can be treated.
@@marvinthemartian6788 I'm a Lutheran, and the Lutheran understanding of law and gospel is that the law creates a contrite heart, which is the first part of repentance. The second part is the reception of the gift of forgiveness which was won for us by the atoning work of Christ. What do you think is the ultimate goal of a convicting sermon? Do you think that it is to convince us that we need to improve our behavior so that we will be accepted by God? Maybe that's the Baptist understanding. The Lutheran understanding is that we all need to be convinced that we are sinners whose only hope of being accepted by God is to give our sins to Jesus and be clothed with His perfect righteousness, because our own righteousness will never be more than filthy rags. If we leave church thinking otherwise, then the pastor has not done his job.
If we feel convicted, that's the Holy Spirit. If we feel guilty, that's usually the enemy. It's important to understand the difference so we recognize who we are listening to. Also, if the pastor is just beating you up, that's just as bad as the one who never reminds you that you're a sinner in need of a Savior. There is a fine balance, and that's why we need anointed teachers.
I was going to a mega Church in Tucson Arizona for a few years to hide from God while telling myself a different story. I wonder how many people do that... When it started feeling more like a concert than church, I got out and started going to a much smaller church. That's where I began to hear from God about my own heart condition and sin.
So funny, I’m currently in Tucson and attending a stylistically mega church, not in numbers, but feel. And considering leaving for this exact reason. It just doesn’t feel real, like it’s doing anything in my life to go
For all the megachurches that try to 1) operate like the world and 2) avoid the passages that contradict the world (as you say), there seem to be 25-50 smaller churches copying them.
That's because a lot of those smaller churches are aspiring to be the bigger churches with the better income and the better lifestyle. A lot of what God does has to do with keeping you from getting to your goal because he doesn't want you to be immersed in that life success in the world is really not what God is after
@@roundhouserenovations3072Agreed. A lot of people would think that God holds them back from ____, therefore He must be bad, when as you've said, He knows what is far better for us
I’m pretty lucky. I go to a very big church in Gainesville Georgia, and our pastor lovingly tells the truth. He never shies away from those topics like abortion and gay marriage and sin. He always speaks biblical truth in a loving way. Grace and truth
@@Indefenseofthetruth interdenominational, so no denomination. Yes, he preaches about sin, and how our lives should look more and more like Jesus’ every day (progressively). And he preaches that we are to turn our lives over to Jesus. He who hangs onto his life will lose it, and he loses his life for my sake, will find it. But the struggle isn’t all up to us, we get close to him (Jesus) and he changes us from the inside out. Changes our wants and our hearts
We attend a large church, but our pastor had no issue addressing hard topics. We are currently in a series he calls in the room. We spent the last 3 Sundays in the last half of Acts 2. Makes me really appreciate good teaching. That includes you, Nate. Thank you for your content.
24:23 Amen brother!! I am a "part time" pastor. Meaning I work a full time job at a factory building parts for cars and trucks or SUVs. And I come home to my family that I love very much!! And then I have church service on Sunday. My congregation is an average of 35 people. And I like that because at this point in life I couldn't handle more at 56 years old. So I'm definitely not a mega church but I want the church to grow in Spirit and truth. The only thing I want is for the sheep to leave Sunday knowing they were in the presence of God that day!! And I not only feed on God's word but also on the people in my church. I think smaller churches like tops 100 or less is where it's at. My church is kinda new. They left the United Methodist Church and now non-denominational. It's a little out of order. I need help!! The church people are fantastic!! I'm very blessed to have such a congregation. I would say that 40 percent are new believers. I just feel overwhelmed brother. I need order and organization. I don't know what to do. Pray for me plz Nate. Love you brother ❤️🙌🙏 PS, I live close to Smashville. Would absolutely love to talk to you sometime. I think the future is small groups. You're a smart man Nate. I'll buy lunch if you want to meet and talk about church. ❤🙏
When many of the great preachers felt overwhelmed or spiritually dry, they got away and sought solitude with God. Jesus went into solitude multiple times in prayer. The wilderness is the place to go.
Around 15:00 you mention that a church can be growing, but dead on the inside. It instantly reminded me of a great part from a song by KB and Lecrae called "Church Clap." It's my favorite part of the song. Here it is: For too long the church churches been clappin' at weak sermons (yes) Leavin' the weak hurt, no one's changed by Sunday's service (all my life) We need discernment, check what you be affirmin' 'Cause a church can be full of members but empty in conversions (my Lord, ha-ha)
As the pastor of a small congregation, THANK YOU! Very encouraging! By the grace of God, I saw this several years ago and stopped fretting about things over which I (we) have no control. So together we preach and teach the biblical gospel, work diligently to make disciples, and extol the virtues of the One who called out of darkness into His wonderful light!
Last Sunday I attended an American Orthodox church. They have almost doubled in attendance in the last 3 years. Local "mainline" congregations have noted their own congregations are dwindling. They ask "How do you grow?" They are answered like this: by doing things as they have been done in more than a thousand years and not wavering. The solid people you want in your church do not want reality manufactured for them, but revealed by God.
Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 5:11-12: "God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart."
He’s spot on with the megachurch style seeping into all churches. We were looking for a new church and my husband and I looked at one another and said “Is that fog?!” Yup they broke out the fog machines, low seat lighting and high beam stage lights, plus a ceiling water feature. We were out so fast. We had to go and pull all our kids out of the Sunday school classes after only 10 minutes. We left and went to a park and had family time. That’s not what we’re looking for. Don’t give us the fluff. Give us Jesus. We want the word. We want community not a concert.
My gran was talking to me yesterday about how sad she is that her church is dwindling but all our churches are thriving & growing in part because of her grandkids & their spouses specifically. All of us have leadership roles in various churches and while she thinks that is fantastic & amazing, her church is slowing down 'cause she cant do all the things she used to be able to to keep it growing & lively. This video is so encouraging Nate! Thank you so much for the end part. I will need to show this to her, her church is great. Just been going through a long long low season
10:03 - 10:40 One thing i noticed as well is when he talked about growth being the metric for success, it sets thise churches up for ERROR not FAILURE. A proper, spirit-led course correction can be made from that point. The way he (and you, Nate) constructs the points make them both succinct and yet detailed.
The greatest problem with churches,large or small, may be the pulpit ministry. We are subjected to lengthy sermons without the opportunity for questions and clarification, and the minister is burdened with the demand for scintillating content every week, and discipleship is left wanting.
That was the best part of going to a home church. The campus ministry I attended decided to meet in home groups once a week and it was treated like going to friends house for a casual meal in that after a brief time of eating and sharing conversation everyone either went to a drawing room type of place where the group leader began discussing some biblical topics and just let people ask questions and expand on the topics .this was a great way to fellowship in christ but it can only be effective in smaller groups so that no one feels left out or feels intimidated to ask something
I totally agree on this. I was a pastor of a mega church as well and I had to step down and start a new church because of the same things he observed. We don't need additional strategies and marketing to bring more people to your church, what we need to do is faithfully preach and live the pure Word of God.
Just pondering what you were saying about marketing. I assume the goal is to attract people that other people feel comfortable with. People that look good on the outside. I'm assuming a large influx of ex-prisoners, gang members, people with substance addictions, those living in poverty, etc would be seen as a fail in a mega-church. Is that your experience?
I've never been a part of a mega church, but a large influx of former criminals and people with difficult needs would be very hard to integrate without a lot of dedicated Christians willing to put in the time and effort to minister and teach them. A lot of wisdom would be required to properly minister such a group
Bringing more people in is making sure we are out hopefully making disciples…who then.become the church…nowadays we let our pastors do the converting or hope that the lost come enough to do so…but if they don’t you have unrepentant sin in your church
This is why I am thankful that we have a pastor preaches expository preaching verse by verse book by book. This keeps him from avoiding tough subjects and as he says “if the scripture stinks let it stink” this also can help a pastor avoid getting on soapboxes as well, because let’s face it, it’s easy to harp on sins that we don’t struggle with! Love your channel praying for your ministry!
The "at the movies" and a yoga class(yoga is worship of false Hindu gods) was the last straw to leaving our last church. Tried to confront them about it they didn't care. We now attend a gospel preaching small town church with a close-knit community.
Remember, the people running the fog machines and spotlights, the people who do the video editing and operating cameras are praising the Lord with their talents. Nothing wrong with praising the Lord with your unique talents and doing it with excellence.
Jaime is right on. I could mention a pastor who was one of my dad's students in Bible college, went on to have a large church...and today pastors a church of ~20 people. Why? He told me as a pastor of a growing church to watch out for many things but one thing he told me was this "deconstruct, deconstruct, deconstruct". I asked him what he meant. He said a major danger is when the focus becomes the organization and the organization starts running you... when the target becomes, for instance, a building program...which has a budget...and to achieve that budget you have to have so many people per week, and T&O has to hit a certain amount per week, and therefore as a consequence... the sermons and ministry has to be catered to ensure that the seats are filled, and the money is flowing. When Jesus is no longer allowed to have is central place nor his headship, and the focus becomes power, prestige and influence... the fruit is in the seed. there are many reasons this can happen. It is subtle. It's like one pastor told me one time when I was in college in Longview, TX. He said... there are over 100 churches in this area, so to be successful, we need the right building, the right location, and the right program...etc. I asked him why that was so necessary given I had been in small churches in the Andes and in Haiti where God's power moved mightily and lives were transformed...and the floors were dirt, there were little to no instruments, no seats other than wooden benches, and often the people sang off note. He just didn't get it. The axe is laid at the root. We need to take heed. The end does not justify the means. We are not only judged by our words and actions but by our thoughts, motives and intents of the heart. My friend now pastors a church of 20 people. He told me, "Michael, I preach to an audience of 1." he told me that he tells his people that the day he has to come in and perform to get them to come to church then he will close the doors. that is the crux of the matter. Churchianity is entertainment. The church is not about funtainment but about the calling people out of darkness into the light (Titus 2:11-15).
He truly is spot on…. I have been a member of three large mega churches in the United States… of course no longer… I have seen things first hand in these ministries that were just horrific…great content
If your church is so big that when you go,you just feel insignificant, lost in the crowd, and niether your absence nor your presence is even noticed,your " church " is probably too big!
I think the Book of Job does a perfect job showing us that our righteous living does NOT bare any weight in guarunteeing fortune in life, or prevent low points from coming.
The Mega Church 101 2 Thess 2:10-12 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Before I became a born again Spirit filled believer, I was getting a horrific re occurring dream. I was driving around with my whole family in a 3 wheeled bubble car. We stopped at every church along the way. I got out with my baby and go to the door. It was always closed so I knocked at the door & someone would come to the door, open it, take 1 look & slam the door shut. I was so disheartened. It took me a long time to find a home church where we were welcome & fed with the word. The mega church will do well for Satan. This is going to send true believers back underground & into smaller home groups. What happened in the beginning will happen in the end. Blessings Nate Nikki
A pastor found out that the money collected at his church was used mostly for the church officials salaries and expenses. Only 3% was going to the needed ppl. He left, landed in Puerto Rico and with God's help founded what is know today as The Happy Givers NPO, and organization that produce their own food, dwelling repairs, helps and provide spiritual support to the forgotten elderly population. If God grant me to return to Puerto Rico I would like to volunteer there.
10:00 I do know what he is talking about. After COVID my church (very briefly) did a "Christians at the movies" series where the idea was to find unlying truths in the movies that relate to the Gospel. We haven't done it since it first happened. Our lead pastor prayed on it and very quickly fell out of favor with it because he felt very convicted with that style of messaging. Lots of "mega churches" do this in order to try and appeal to popular culture or to at least link pop-culture to the gospel in some way. The idea is to train Christians to subconsciously see Christianity where there otherwise isn't any. It's meant to show that the truth of God is always present even where you least expect it. In reality it undermines the gospel message by making people wonder why they even need to turn to the Bible if they can watch a Marvel movie and get the "same message".
My dear Nate. I am 68 years young and have been noticing these and more things within the church for more than 10 years. they start out great but then by the 3month you can see the distance with some folks. That is very sad, especially as we near the end of our civilization, sorry I met to say. our cave like extinct. So, continue to pray and doing God's business. Bless you Nate. Would like to have a Holy Bible lesson on the Sabbath. Thank you by the way I am subscribed, like all your videos even if I don't agree and donate to your cause. Yeshua bless you and family.
Is there any real fellowship at a mega church? I've never been to one but as a more introverted person I feel like if I went to one I could go for 10+ years without even being noticed.
That is certainly an option, going for years without being noticed, and plenty of people do. But as a large church attendee, I always tell people, you get out of it what you put into it. If you just go on Sundays, show up late, sit in the back, then immediately leave, yea you'll get no fellowship. But if you get involved, look for small groups, side ministries you can take part in and serve in, and consistently attend, you'll be surprised. I started off going to men's small group Bible studies, then after sunday's service I would help stack chairs & clean up, which led to me getting asked to serve on the special events team, and I also signed up to be an usher. These days, I can't walk 2 minutes without someone having a conversation with me. I couldn't hide out if I wanted to. All this, while attending a church of over 2,000 people (Calvary Chapel Chino Valley). So it's definitely possible. You just have to seek it out.
@@richardcaraballo1185 This is so heartwarming! Thank you for sharing! Absolutely, I completely agree about actively engaging and involving yourself in your church community. Meeting new people can sometimes make me feel a bit shy, but I make a conscious effort to step out of my comfort zone and connect with others. I end up always enjoying the wonderful conversations and interactions! Before my family joined our current church, I took the initiative to ask about their women's Bible study group and children's Sunday school with one of the pastors. The response I received was incredibly warm and supportive! The following week, they checked in on me and offered prayers, which meant a lot to me. Our church isn't huge, but it's not tiny either. Whether the church is large or small, reaching out and connecting with others creates genuine fellowship. ✝️🌸
@@richardcaraballo1185 Agreed. You get out what you put in, but I do feel like many mega-churches don't emphasize getting involved in ministries and your community.
@@TheStarshipGarage I Guess that's on an individualized, church to church basis. I'm sure some don't stress small groups and other things, but from my experience, all I've seen personally is big churches doing it right. Again, I'm part of the Calvary Chapel movement though and a lot of our Churches are large but heavily stress discipleship and serving and such. It should be noted too though that just because a church is small doesn't necessarily mean they're focusing on these areas either. Plenty of mega churches can be doing things right, and plenty of small Churches can be doing things wrong.
The church that I go to is a known for being big, but they don't have some of the biggest things mentioned. No church is perfect, but I know that God has blessed the mightily
Hey Nate! Not sure if you’ll see this but I wanted to encourage you and thank you for your online ministry. Being a congregant in a smaller campus of a mega church I will say that I’ve struggled with whether or not to leave but so far I have stayed because of the opportunities it has afforded be to help impact middle and high school students in my area. For a time I felt very convicted about how my church can fail to feed the sheep but your ministry helps me and people like me to continue to use mega churches for their resources and still be be properly fed by the word of God!
My family and I just left a church that was just as he described. At the movies and a new one: ETV jams, where they take pop songs and build a message around it.
In the 80s, before I was born, the church I grew up a part of burned down. I heard it said years after that in that moment of despair one of the congregants said “our church will be fine because we are our church, not the building”. As hard as I imagine it was to watch that building burn I think that was absolutely the right message and they built a larger better equipped building on a different property the pastor had bought a few years before by God’s guidance. That’s the building I grew up in but the church I grew up in was that amazing family of Christians who sought to have Jesus amongst them and not just in the building they attended.
I went to a huge Baptist church. Each service had a Big concert, it was all focused on praising Jesus: and each singer wanted to be the focus point on TV Camera.. Good bible breakdown. TV advertising during service? Surrounded by Camera crew of 12 people? With professional camera crew sit down pillars. Had a kid service , kids won prizes and gifts each week. This ensured they liked going to church. Never saw a cross? Very focused on finances , wanted 10% gross of salary, then still more. I said to my wife, if you blind folded me and walked me into the church, then took the blind off, I would think I was on a TV set. Not a church. We moved on pretty quick.
The story of these mega churches reminds me of what Paul said in 2 Timothy 3-4: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Growth is a funny concept come to think of it. It’s the type of growth which makes the difference. Do you want to grow in attendance or do you want to help your congregation grow in faith, service, community, and love.
As far as exegeting Scripture....I came across a video w Steven Furtick trying to do that with a paragraph heading in the Bible....A HEADING!?....something not in the ORIGINAL text... ....it was mind boggling... ...and not in a good way...
I was the director of the at the movie series for several years, I loved it and I saw it make a huge difference. Specifically I directed performances like plays and music, and built movie sets that people could tour and Stoke imaginations. The messages were inspired by scenes of movies, which was awesome because it basically let you watch someone go through something and discuss it instead of just discussing it which made it sink in better and easier to remember and apply. The only problem I saw in general was the teaching was design for new people, this is technically not a problem since there needs to be teaching for each education level, but I've grown up in the church and so I always want more and deeper. My wish is that they integrate apologetics and offer deeper resources to mature and prepare people to excellence. But also I loved the feeling of megachurches like early COTM as a teen, to look around the stadium and seeing thousands of people loving on God together shamelessly. It helped me recognize God is working here and this competed with the world's offering. Not only was it exciting and awesome but also led to fulfilling truth which the world can't offer.
My country is one of the most laic countries of the continent. Churches here are desperate to grow due to that. However this video has truly blessed me and helped me regain focus on whats truly important. Thanks and God bless
I remember going to a megachurch in college and they choose a certain few to discipleship because of their standing in society. Those who were well known were specifically asked to come to not advertised meetings. Otherwise the gatherings never allowed for deeper meat in the word. It was only basic milk without deeper substance.
Bro just wanna tell You I’ve never subscribed or liked anything on YT. And I had to with your channel it’s so informative, entertaining, you’re the GOAT of whatever this “genre” of content this is.
At the movies is a real thing but the movie themes are different. We got a church that does star wars theme typically in August during the lightest attendance month of the year.
I went to a church for a while where the pastor regularly stated that we would NOT become large, because he regularly preached things people wouldn't like: things like "You have sin in your life you still need to work on" and various other things that would prick the conscience.
I grew up hearing from my grandmother, “if you’re lukewarm, God spits you out.” I never knew what it meant until I heard it for myself, at a mega church. 😢
I went to Hope City for almost a year, which is in Houston, and pretty much all the stuff mentioned in this video happened. A female lead pastor, avoiding hot-button topics, being more about energy than enlightenment, and the At The Movies series. They pretty much just try to parallel plot points from the movie to the Bible, which I think can be fine in individual conversations or if the movie is an allegory but if that's the entire sermon then it just falls flat. I pray that the people at these churches can find some real, intense relationship with the Lord no matter the circumstance and the church they're at
@WiseDisciple, Nate, have you read Voddie Baucham's book Family Driven Faith (available on audiobook) and what did you think of the section where he covers the candidate process for pastors? I found it very eye-opening and extremely concerning. I used to attend Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, btw, so I have a grasp of the mega church culture. I was there before and after Pastor Bob Coy fell. My husband and I were married there. We now live in SWFL and so have moved away about 5 years ago. I've found the book life-changing.
The only thing we can do for the Church is honor Christ's marching orders and show our loyalty by bringing souls to Him. Amen People are carnal enough as it is, so these mega churches, the one's that "avoid" certain areas in the Bible are making them worse.
My soon to be former church had produced exegetical sermons on a batman movie, back to the future, cars, Ferris Bueler's day off, and something else. Some preaching was also prerecorded complete with 2 batmobiles, time travel DeLorean, and a lightning McQueen cartoon car. There were even several sermons titled "Savage Jesus".
I have found that once a church has implemented ARC, they no longer preach the same. And everything becomes a production. I would know, ive attended two churches that implemented ARC after i joined AND i was part of the production team in a mega church in Tennessee. They also start to add some New Age things like the enneagram. There's more i noticed, too.
It might seem trivial, but the clothing of a pastor is a big deal. Does the pastor's clothing communicate that he/she is VERY interested in trends and looking cool? That will set the trajectory for a church's identity.
Amen, Nate!! This is a home run for a video about this topic. You hit so many fabulous points and every one of them needs to be heard. I've been sharing several of your videos on my FB page because I believe in your ministry, I see your passion for Christ, and I admire how you've utilized Wise Disciple to reach as many people as possible to inspire them and teach them. This is just fantastic. Bless you, brother.
My church is pretty large. I'm new to Christianity. For me church is important but not the center of my spiritual connection with Jesus. I balance my Bible app, Voddie Bauchman sermons (on UA-cam), these videos, I signed up to join a men's group within the church next month and I go to service once a week. I'm also a secretary for a recovery group. I like having different places to pull wisdom and relationships from. I know I get bored when things are always the same so this works really well for me regarding getting fed spiritually and staying driven to be closer to Jesus. I know no one asked but this is what I currently do and it's taken me to a really healthy place mentally and spiritually. Just thought I'd share in case someone else was struggling with feeling stagnant and unsure of what to do.
This is all wrong, the church should be the center of your life (earthly speaking). You should have dear friends in the church, be discipled by its members, disciple its members, serve in it, plant your flag in it. That is how you grow spiritually and share one another’s burdens. Voddie Baucham would say the exact same thing. If we look at Paul his entire life was the Church, he lived for the church, grieved over them, lived for their spiritual well being, prayed for them, worried for their spiritual wellbeing, loved them, sent ministers to help them, wrote to them, etc. Your life should be around the Church, it is the only institution that Jesus Christ instituted, it is divine. Imagine saying you love your friend but not his bride or that she’s not as important as him
@@OseiasChiquellaJunior-jm2id you have the right to your opinion. I love Jesus, he is my savior. I praise him openly everywhere. I said I joined a men's group and I attend church regularly. I never said that I didn't enjoy church or advise others not to go. I just specified I connect to God in more than just the church. Not sure you read the entirety of my message but bless you and thank you for your comment. I'll consider your suggestion moving forward 🙏. Like I said I'm new it's possible I'm completely wrong with my opinion. I'll ask God for discernment on this matter.
@@carlosnader7202 Yeah I apologize if I came on too strong, my apologies. As Christians though our lives should be around the church and its people. Sanctification comes through reading of God’s word, prayer and fellowship. So brother, I would say to you please don’t forsake it, it should take precedent over everything along with the private means of grace. Hope you listen to it In Christ.
Hi, I’m new to UA-cam and to Wise Disciple. Nate - thank you for answering Gods call to help us become the followers we are meant to be. We appreciate you!
My last megachurch here in cali has about 7000 total members. Did they all sow up every week? No. But combination of online. They also had 1 local church plant and two international plants. All tune in to the lead pastor on sundays
There is a story (I have never checked the truthfulness) of a church in Liverpool, UK. It started strong and grew like crazy. It was strong for 2 generations and then just dissapeared. They had never managed to pass the gospel to the 3rd and the church vanished. It has been our watch word in our infant church to ensure that we teach the gospel at all times. Whether we grow or not, if we teach the gospel we have done our duty.
I love addressing issues with specific churches or general tensions felt in multiple places. I do want to say that a large church can be healthy and a small church can be unhealthy. Size (small or big) does not correlate to health. I do think it’s not healthy to dump on mega churches in general. It’d be better to address a specific church for a specific thing instead of just making sweeping judgements on churches that you’ve never been to.
My church teaches the Bible verse by verse teaching in context and we probebly have 500 members. Yes some people get offended and no its not perfect, but i know so many people i love there and developed relationships through the years. If you dont have a church home, pray about it first asking God to lead you to truth. God always leaves a rembant in each city.
i think Bill Hybels' words on the failure of the, "great experiment" of Willow Creek's "seeker sensitivity" approach applies here: (paraphrase) "we've officially become a mile wide, and an inch deep..."...
This is a much bigger issue than just being seeker friendly. I was in a mega church for about ten years. It wasn't a mega church when I started, but slowly grew into one. I guess I was the frog in the pot. It was one of the churches that held those conferences that pastors from all over the nation attended. I don't think the intent was to become as big as they became, I think it just happened, which led to hubris. The damage done to those who attended can't be measured. How they got there, is hard to quantify. All I know is that by the time it all came crashing down, and I left the church, I was categorized as a weak willed sheep for ever having attended. The ostracization of others in the faith was abusive. I haven't been able to walk into a church since. My faith is strong, and so are the panic attacks. Healing takes a long time, and I pray for the pastors of the churches across America, big and small. So many need to repent, return to their Lord, and lead accordingly. There are so many wounded sheep out there.
A good church hits differently on different sundays. Sometimes you’re encouraged, sometimes you’re convicted, sometimes you leave feeling lifted up, sometimes beat up. This is how it should go. We aren’t growing to measure up to a secular standard, we are growing to measure up to a holy one
Amen, man.
No, this isn't how it should go. If you leave feeling beat up then the law has convicted you of your sins, but you have not received the assurance that Christ died on a cross to atone for your sins. He was beat up for your sins so that you don't have to be. That is the essence of the gospel. That would be like going to a doctor and being told that you have a serious disease and then being sent home without any mention of how the disease can be treated.
I absolutely couldn’t disagree more. A fully convicting sermon creates a repentant heart. But then again I’m a Baptist 😉
@@marvinthemartian6788 I'm a Lutheran, and the Lutheran understanding of law and gospel is that the law creates a contrite heart, which is the first part of repentance. The second part is the reception of the gift of forgiveness which was won for us by the atoning work of Christ. What do you think is the ultimate goal of a convicting sermon? Do you think that it is to convince us that we need to improve our behavior so that we will be accepted by God? Maybe that's the Baptist understanding. The Lutheran understanding is that we all need to be convinced that we are sinners whose only hope of being accepted by God is to give our sins to Jesus and be clothed with His perfect righteousness, because our own righteousness will never be more than filthy rags. If we leave church thinking otherwise, then the pastor has not done his job.
If we feel convicted, that's the Holy Spirit. If we feel guilty, that's usually the enemy. It's important to understand the difference so we recognize who we are listening to. Also, if the pastor is just beating you up, that's just as bad as the one who never reminds you that you're a sinner in need of a Savior. There is a fine balance, and that's why we need anointed teachers.
I was going to a mega Church in Tucson Arizona for a few years to hide from God while telling myself a different story. I wonder how many people do that... When it started feeling more like a concert than church, I got out and started going to a much smaller church. That's where I began to hear from God about my own heart condition and sin.
As someone from AZ im curious. Was it CCV you were going to?
So funny, I’m currently in Tucson and attending a stylistically mega church, not in numbers, but feel. And considering leaving for this exact reason. It just doesn’t feel real, like it’s doing anything in my life to go
@@Tarrynn maybe try to find a smaller, more local church. Might be more your speed
For all the megachurches that try to 1) operate like the world and 2) avoid the passages that contradict the world (as you say), there seem to be 25-50 smaller churches copying them.
100%.
“Megachurch” is just an umbrella term which describes many progressive, yet smaller churches… particularly those in the liberal inner cities
And that is just about the saddest thing I’ve ever seen. May God have mercy on us.
In other words, big brother influences little brother. Yep. We get it 🤙🏾
That's because a lot of those smaller churches are aspiring to be the bigger churches with the better income and the better lifestyle. A lot of what God does has to do with keeping you from getting to your goal because he doesn't want you to be immersed in that life success in the world is really not what God is after
@@roundhouserenovations3072Agreed. A lot of people would think that God holds them back from ____, therefore He must be bad, when as you've said, He knows what is far better for us
I love my church which focuses on expository teaching, missions and discipleship
Yep, churches should focus on community and discipleship, and challenging people to go deeper.
How many souls have I saved? ZERO...Jesus saves!❤🔥
I’m pretty lucky. I go to a very big church in Gainesville Georgia, and our pastor lovingly tells the truth. He never shies away from those topics like abortion and gay marriage and sin. He always speaks biblical truth in a loving way. Grace and truth
I think that is the one my cousin goes to I just can't think of the name at the moment
@@michaelmerck7576 Free Chapel
@@michaelmerck7576 Free Chapel
What denomination? Does it focus on deny self and turning ones life over to Jesus?
@@Indefenseofthetruth interdenominational, so no denomination. Yes, he preaches about sin, and how our lives should look more and more like Jesus’ every day (progressively). And he preaches that we are to turn our lives over to Jesus. He who hangs onto his life will lose it, and he loses his life for my sake, will find it. But the struggle isn’t all up to us, we get close to him (Jesus) and he changes us from the inside out. Changes our wants and our hearts
We attend a large church, but our pastor had no issue addressing hard topics. We are currently in a series he calls in the room. We spent the last 3 Sundays in the last half of Acts 2. Makes me really appreciate good teaching. That includes you, Nate. Thank you for your content.
24:23 Amen brother!! I am a "part time" pastor. Meaning I work a full time job at a factory building parts for cars and trucks or SUVs. And I come home to my family that I love very much!! And then I have church service on Sunday. My congregation is an average of 35 people. And I like that because at this point in life I couldn't handle more at 56 years old. So I'm definitely not a mega church but I want the church to grow in Spirit and truth. The only thing I want is for the sheep to leave Sunday knowing they were in the presence of God that day!! And I not only feed on God's word but also on the people in my church. I think smaller churches like tops 100 or less is where it's at. My church is kinda new. They left the United Methodist Church and now non-denominational. It's a little out of order. I need help!! The church people are fantastic!! I'm very blessed to have such a congregation. I would say that 40 percent are new believers. I just feel overwhelmed brother. I need order and organization. I don't know what to do. Pray for me plz Nate. Love you brother ❤️🙌🙏 PS, I live close to Smashville. Would absolutely love to talk to you sometime. I think the future is small groups. You're a smart man Nate. I'll buy lunch if you want to meet and talk about church. ❤🙏
Praying for you!
When many of the great preachers felt overwhelmed or spiritually dry, they got away and sought solitude with God.
Jesus went into solitude multiple times in prayer.
The wilderness is the place to go.
So cool you covered this, thank you for your positive coverage, and agreed, think we'd get on great! Appreciate your work!
Around 15:00 you mention that a church can be growing, but dead on the inside. It instantly reminded me of a great part from a song by KB and Lecrae called "Church Clap." It's my favorite part of the song. Here it is:
For too long the church churches been clappin' at weak sermons (yes)
Leavin' the weak hurt, no one's changed by Sunday's service (all my life)
We need discernment, check what you be affirmin'
'Cause a church can be full of members but empty in conversions (my Lord, ha-ha)
LeCrae went to p Diddy parties! He's a fake Christian!!! Boo!
As the pastor of a small congregation, THANK YOU! Very encouraging! By the grace of God, I saw this several years ago and stopped fretting about things over which I (we) have no control. So together we preach and teach the biblical gospel, work diligently to make disciples, and extol the virtues of the One who called out of darkness into His wonderful light!
Last Sunday I attended an American Orthodox church. They have almost doubled in attendance in the last 3 years. Local "mainline" congregations have noted their own congregations are dwindling. They ask "How do you grow?" They are answered like this: by doing things as they have been done in more than a thousand years and not wavering. The solid people you want in your church do not want reality manufactured for them, but revealed by God.
The older I get, the more I understand why there was always a remnant. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 was always inevitable.
I had to pull out my Bible App for this. Thanks for the read. God Bless you, M Stephens 🙏♥️
Amazing passage that hits the nail on the head of this topic, thank you
Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 5:11-12: "God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart."
Verses 6-9 are also incredibly relevant, though politically incorrect 😳
Gods word is always the final authority. Always speak the truth, even if it is unpopular.
Facts. I love my church, we don't shy away from controversial subjects. My pastor is preaching on 1 Samuel 15 next sunday 😂 pray for us
He’s spot on with the megachurch style seeping into all churches. We were looking for a new church and my husband and I looked at one another and said “Is that fog?!” Yup they broke out the fog machines, low seat lighting and high beam stage lights, plus a ceiling water feature. We were out so fast. We had to go and pull all our kids out of the Sunday school classes after only 10 minutes. We left and went to a park and had family time. That’s not what we’re looking for. Don’t give us the fluff. Give us Jesus. We want the word. We want community not a concert.
My gran was talking to me yesterday about how sad she is that her church is dwindling but all our churches are thriving & growing in part because of her grandkids & their spouses specifically. All of us have leadership roles in various churches and while she thinks that is fantastic & amazing, her church is slowing down 'cause she cant do all the things she used to be able to to keep it growing & lively. This video is so encouraging Nate! Thank you so much for the end part. I will need to show this to her, her church is great. Just been going through a long long low season
You are not alone pastor.
- John 14:6 -
„The great concern of the New Testament Epistles is not about the size of the Church, it is about the purity of the Church.”
Martyn Lloyd Jones
10:03 - 10:40 One thing i noticed as well is when he talked about growth being the metric for success, it sets thise churches up for ERROR not FAILURE. A proper, spirit-led course correction can be made from that point.
The way he (and you, Nate) constructs the points make them both succinct and yet detailed.
The greatest problem with churches,large or small, may be the pulpit ministry. We are subjected to lengthy sermons without the opportunity for questions and clarification, and the minister is burdened with the demand for scintillating content every week, and discipleship is left wanting.
That was the best part of going to a home church. The campus ministry I attended decided to meet in home groups once a week and it was treated like going to friends house for a casual meal in that after a brief time of eating and sharing conversation everyone either went to a drawing room type of place where the group leader began discussing some biblical topics and just let people ask questions and expand on the topics .this was a great way to fellowship in christ but it can only be effective in smaller groups so that no one feels left out or feels intimidated to ask something
I totally agree on this. I was a pastor of a mega church as well and I had to step down and start a new church because of the same things he observed. We don't need additional strategies and marketing to bring more people to your church, what we need to do is faithfully preach and live the pure Word of God.
Just pondering what you were saying about marketing. I assume the goal is to attract people that other people feel comfortable with. People that look good on the outside. I'm assuming a large influx of ex-prisoners, gang members, people with substance addictions, those living in poverty, etc would be seen as a fail in a mega-church. Is that your experience?
I've never been a part of a mega church, but a large influx of former criminals and people with difficult needs would be very hard to integrate without a lot of dedicated Christians willing to put in the time and effort to minister and teach them. A lot of wisdom would be required to properly minister such a group
Bringing more people in is making sure we are out hopefully making disciples…who then.become the church…nowadays we let our pastors do the converting or hope that the lost come enough to do so…but if they don’t you have unrepentant sin in your church
Watching simply for the use of the Brofessor Dom Mazetti in the thumbnail 😅😅😅
Bruh same here, I was like, is Uncle Dom a preacher now...I mean he has great sermons when it comes to the iron church.
@@kingmeruem6657 I tap in every time Mass is in Session. Really love listening to his new videos every week.
@@richardcaraballo1185 Wheymen, my barbell brother.
Every. Single. Week. ????@@richardcaraballo1185
❤
Yes, "At the Movies" is definitely a church series. Associated with ARC churches.
Very important message for those who go to a church to get their ears tickled.
This is why I am thankful that we have a pastor preaches expository preaching verse by verse book by book.
This keeps him from avoiding tough subjects and as he says “if the scripture stinks let it stink” this also can help a pastor avoid getting on soapboxes as well, because let’s face it, it’s easy to harp on sins that we don’t struggle with!
Love your channel praying for your ministry!
The "at the movies" and a yoga class(yoga is worship of false Hindu gods) was the last straw to leaving our last church. Tried to confront them about it they didn't care. We now attend a gospel preaching small town church with a close-knit community.
yoga is a form of exercise its not worshipping anything unless u choose to make it that
"Much of the church right now is like a restaurant that failed the health inspection so they put all their money into advertising." - Anon
As soon as you see the fog machine and spotlights... RUN !!!!!
Remember, the people running the fog machines and spotlights, the people who do the video editing and operating cameras are praising the Lord with their talents. Nothing wrong with praising the Lord with your unique talents and doing it with excellence.
@@DesireeStamat has nothing to do with "using talents"... the issue is making worship a performance, and trying to manipulate emotions.
10:04 you should look up the one where they’re the avengers characters. I’m pretty sure it’s an Easter service they did.
As someone who was on staff at a church this is 100000% true. This is why I had to leave my last church after realizing the ungodly pattern
Always good to hear your messages of challenging us to really question our faith!
I love seeing your numbers go up and up! Your channel has grown and reaching so many ppl just this year alone! Awesome and praise God!!
Jaime is right on. I could mention a pastor who was one of my dad's students in Bible college, went on to have a large church...and today pastors a church of ~20 people. Why? He told me as a pastor of a growing church to watch out for many things but one thing he told me was this "deconstruct, deconstruct, deconstruct". I asked him what he meant. He said a major danger is when the focus becomes the organization and the organization starts running you... when the target becomes, for instance, a building program...which has a budget...and to achieve that budget you have to have so many people per week, and T&O has to hit a certain amount per week, and therefore as a consequence... the sermons and ministry has to be catered to ensure that the seats are filled, and the money is flowing. When Jesus is no longer allowed to have is central place nor his headship, and the focus becomes power, prestige and influence... the fruit is in the seed. there are many reasons this can happen. It is subtle. It's like one pastor told me one time when I was in college in Longview, TX. He said... there are over 100 churches in this area, so to be successful, we need the right building, the right location, and the right program...etc. I asked him why that was so necessary given I had been in small churches in the Andes and in Haiti where God's power moved mightily and lives were transformed...and the floors were dirt, there were little to no instruments, no seats other than wooden benches, and often the people sang off note. He just didn't get it. The axe is laid at the root. We need to take heed. The end does not justify the means. We are not only judged by our words and actions but by our thoughts, motives and intents of the heart. My friend now pastors a church of 20 people. He told me, "Michael, I preach to an audience of 1." he told me that he tells his people that the day he has to come in and perform to get them to come to church then he will close the doors. that is the crux of the matter. Churchianity is entertainment. The church is not about funtainment but about the calling people out of darkness into the light (Titus 2:11-15).
He truly is spot on…. I have been a member of three large mega churches in the United States… of course no longer… I have seen things first hand in these ministries that were just horrific…great content
I'll add...NO building required!❣
If your church is so big that when you go,you just feel insignificant, lost in the crowd, and niether your absence nor your presence is even noticed,your " church " is probably too big!
I think the Book of Job does a perfect job showing us that our righteous living does NOT bare any weight in guarunteeing fortune in life, or prevent low points from coming.
The Mega Church 101
2 Thess 2:10-12 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Before I became a born again Spirit filled believer, I was getting a horrific re occurring dream. I was driving around with my whole family in a 3 wheeled bubble car. We stopped at every church along the way. I got out with my baby and go to the door. It was always closed so I knocked at the door & someone would come to the door, open it, take 1 look & slam the door shut.
I was so disheartened.
It took me a long time to find a home church where we were welcome & fed with the word.
The mega church will do well for Satan.
This is going to send true believers back underground & into smaller home groups.
What happened in the beginning will happen in the end.
Blessings Nate
Nikki
First church I visited after moving to PHX AZ was a mega church. The sermon was an exposition of the film “Meet the Parents” starring Ben Stiller.
That is awful.😮
@@janchapman3408 yup, we nvr went back.
A pastor found out that the money collected at his church was used mostly for the church officials salaries and expenses. Only 3% was going to the needed ppl. He left, landed in Puerto Rico and with God's help founded what is know today as The Happy Givers NPO, and organization that produce their own food, dwelling repairs, helps and provide spiritual support to the forgotten elderly population. If God grant me to return to Puerto Rico I would like to volunteer there.
10:00 I do know what he is talking about. After COVID my church (very briefly) did a "Christians at the movies" series where the idea was to find unlying truths in the movies that relate to the Gospel. We haven't done it since it first happened. Our lead pastor prayed on it and very quickly fell out of favor with it because he felt very convicted with that style of messaging.
Lots of "mega churches" do this in order to try and appeal to popular culture or to at least link pop-culture to the gospel in some way. The idea is to train Christians to subconsciously see Christianity where there otherwise isn't any. It's meant to show that the truth of God is always present even where you least expect it.
In reality it undermines the gospel message by making people wonder why they even need to turn to the Bible if they can watch a Marvel movie and get the "same message".
Doubly bless Nate for his efforts Lord! Planting seeds of truth and hope for a hopeless generation! And Thank you!💌
My church pastors address the issues that most try to avoid, in love and truth. I am so thankful for pastors that speak God"s truth
My dear Nate. I am 68 years young and have been noticing these and more things within the church for more than 10 years. they start out great but then by the 3month you can see the distance with some folks. That is very sad, especially as we near the end of our civilization, sorry I met to say. our cave like extinct. So, continue to pray and doing God's business. Bless you Nate. Would like to have a Holy Bible lesson on the Sabbath. Thank you by the way I am subscribed, like all your videos even if I don't agree and donate to your cause. Yeshua bless you and family.
Is there any real fellowship at a mega church? I've never been to one but as a more introverted person I feel like if I went to one I could go for 10+ years without even being noticed.
That is certainly an option, going for years without being noticed, and plenty of people do. But as a large church attendee, I always tell people, you get out of it what you put into it. If you just go on Sundays, show up late, sit in the back, then immediately leave, yea you'll get no fellowship. But if you get involved, look for small groups, side ministries you can take part in and serve in, and consistently attend, you'll be surprised. I started off going to men's small group Bible studies, then after sunday's service I would help stack chairs & clean up, which led to me getting asked to serve on the special events team, and I also signed up to be an usher. These days, I can't walk 2 minutes without someone having a conversation with me. I couldn't hide out if I wanted to. All this, while attending a church of over 2,000 people (Calvary Chapel Chino Valley). So it's definitely possible. You just have to seek it out.
@@richardcaraballo1185 This is so heartwarming! Thank you for sharing! Absolutely, I completely agree about actively engaging and involving yourself in your church community.
Meeting new people can sometimes make me feel a bit shy, but I make a conscious effort to step out of my comfort zone and connect with others. I end up always enjoying the wonderful conversations and interactions!
Before my family joined our current church, I took the initiative to ask about their women's Bible study group and children's Sunday school with one of the pastors. The response I received was incredibly warm and supportive! The following week, they checked in on me and offered prayers, which meant a lot to me. Our church isn't huge, but it's not tiny either. Whether the church is large or small, reaching out and connecting with others creates genuine fellowship. ✝️🌸
@@richardcaraballo1185 Agreed. You get out what you put in, but I do feel like many mega-churches don't emphasize getting involved in ministries and your community.
@@TheStarshipGarage I Guess that's on an individualized, church to church basis. I'm sure some don't stress small groups and other things, but from my experience, all I've seen personally is big churches doing it right. Again, I'm part of the Calvary Chapel movement though and a lot of our Churches are large but heavily stress discipleship and serving and such.
It should be noted too though that just because a church is small doesn't necessarily mean they're focusing on these areas either. Plenty of mega churches can be doing things right, and plenty of small Churches can be doing things wrong.
@@richardcaraballo1185 Agreed. I heard Calvary Chapel is pretty good, you guys have Mike Winger!
The church that I go to is a known for being big, but they don't have some of the biggest things mentioned. No church is perfect, but I know that God has blessed the mightily
Hey Nate! Not sure if you’ll see this but I wanted to encourage you and thank you for your online ministry. Being a congregant in a smaller campus of a mega church I will say that I’ve struggled with whether or not to leave but so far I have stayed because of the opportunities it has afforded be to help impact middle and high school students in my area. For a time I felt very convicted about how my church can fail to feed the sheep but your ministry helps me and people like me to continue to use mega churches for their resources and still be be properly fed by the word of God!
We all know you are Superman. Those glasses don't fool anyone, Super Sala. Great message today. God's Word is powerful!
My family and I just left a church that was just as he described. At the movies and a new one: ETV jams, where they take pop songs and build a message around it.
In the 80s, before I was born, the church I grew up a part of burned down. I heard it said years after that in that moment of despair one of the congregants said “our church will be fine because we are our church, not the building”. As hard as I imagine it was to watch that building burn I think that was absolutely the right message and they built a larger better equipped building on a different property the pastor had bought a few years before by God’s guidance. That’s the building I grew up in but the church I grew up in was that amazing family of Christians who sought to have Jesus amongst them and not just in the building they attended.
I went to a huge Baptist church.
Each service had a Big concert, it was all focused on praising Jesus: and each singer wanted to be the focus point on TV Camera..
Good bible breakdown.
TV advertising during service?
Surrounded by Camera crew of 12 people? With professional camera crew sit down pillars.
Had a kid service , kids won prizes and gifts each week. This ensured they liked going to church.
Never saw a cross?
Very focused on finances , wanted 10% gross of salary, then still more.
I said to my wife, if you blind folded me and walked me into the church, then took the blind off, I would think I was on a TV set. Not a church.
We moved on pretty quick.
Just discovered your channel two days ago and you're already one of my favorite UA-camrs!
Love it, Nate! Well done!
"A church can grow in size and be dead on the inside." So true, praying for all to understand this. 🙏🏼
The story of these mega churches reminds me of what Paul said in 2 Timothy 3-4:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Agree with you one hundred percent. It's too easy to get lost in a big church.
Growth is a funny concept come to think of it.
It’s the type of growth which makes the difference.
Do you want to grow in attendance or do you want to help your congregation grow in faith, service, community, and love.
Most pastors unfortunately will opt for the sheer numbers
R.C. Sproul was always one of my favorite preachers.
be careful of Calvinist teachings. they have their own issues.
@@jonslagill8864 Such as?
@@jonslagill8864Ever hear of Charles Haddon Spurgeon?
As far as exegeting Scripture....I came across a video w Steven Furtick trying to do that with a paragraph heading in the Bible....A HEADING!?....something not in the ORIGINAL text...
....it was mind boggling...
...and not in a good way...
I was the director of the at the movie series for several years, I loved it and I saw it make a huge difference.
Specifically I directed performances like plays and music, and built movie sets that people could tour and Stoke imaginations.
The messages were inspired by scenes of movies, which was awesome because it basically let you watch someone go through something and discuss it instead of just discussing it which made it sink in better and easier to remember and apply.
The only problem I saw in general was the teaching was design for new people, this is technically not a problem since there needs to be teaching for each education level, but I've grown up in the church and so I always want more and deeper.
My wish is that they integrate apologetics and offer deeper resources to mature and prepare people to excellence.
But also I loved the feeling of megachurches like early COTM as a teen, to look around the stadium and seeing thousands of people loving on God together shamelessly. It helped me recognize God is working here and this competed with the world's offering. Not only was it exciting and awesome but also led to fulfilling truth which the world can't offer.
My country is one of the most laic countries of the continent. Churches here are desperate to grow due to that. However this video has truly blessed me and helped me regain focus on whats truly important. Thanks and God bless
I remember going to a megachurch in college and they choose a certain few to discipleship because of their standing in society. Those who were well known were specifically asked to come to not advertised meetings. Otherwise the gatherings never allowed for deeper meat in the word. It was only basic milk without deeper substance.
Bro just wanna tell
You I’ve never subscribed or liked anything on YT. And I had to with your channel it’s so informative, entertaining, you’re the GOAT of whatever this “genre” of content this is.
Thanks for the intro to Jamie Bambrick, I enjoyed watching his videos.
At the movies is a real thing but the movie themes are different. We got a church that does star wars theme typically in August during the lightest attendance month of the year.
I went to a church for a while where the pastor regularly stated that we would NOT become large, because he regularly preached things people wouldn't like: things like "You have sin in your life you still need to work on" and various other things that would prick the conscience.
Late to the comment party, but the apologetic hoodie came two days ago. I’m going to look so clean for service tomorrow 🤩🙏🏽
Excellent summary!
I grew up hearing from my grandmother, “if you’re lukewarm, God spits you out.” I never knew what it meant until I heard it for myself, at a mega church. 😢
I went to Hope City for almost a year, which is in Houston, and pretty much all the stuff mentioned in this video happened. A female lead pastor, avoiding hot-button topics, being more about energy than enlightenment, and the At The Movies series. They pretty much just try to parallel plot points from the movie to the Bible, which I think can be fine in individual conversations or if the movie is an allegory but if that's the entire sermon then it just falls flat.
I pray that the people at these churches can find some real, intense relationship with the Lord no matter the circumstance and the church they're at
Female pastor sends up a red flag
Glory to you JESUS CHRIST OUR GOD GLORY TO YOU!❤️🩹🫂❤️🔥
@WiseDisciple, Nate, have you read Voddie Baucham's book Family Driven Faith (available on audiobook) and what did you think of the section where he covers the candidate process for pastors? I found it very eye-opening and extremely concerning.
I used to attend Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, btw, so I have a grasp of the mega church culture. I was there before and after Pastor Bob Coy fell. My husband and I were married there. We now live in SWFL and so have moved away about 5 years ago.
I've found the book life-changing.
The only thing we can do for the Church is honor Christ's marching orders and show our loyalty by bringing souls to Him. Amen People are carnal enough as it is, so these mega churches, the one's that "avoid" certain areas in the Bible are making them worse.
My soon to be former church had produced exegetical sermons on a batman movie, back to the future, cars, Ferris Bueler's day off, and something else. Some preaching was also prerecorded complete with 2 batmobiles, time travel DeLorean, and a lightning McQueen cartoon car. There were even several sermons titled "Savage Jesus".
Run out of there now
@@Fassnight I know. There is also a woman pastor who preaches.
I have found that once a church has implemented ARC, they no longer preach the same. And everything becomes a production. I would know, ive attended two churches that implemented ARC after i joined AND i was part of the production team in a mega church in Tennessee. They also start to add some New Age things like the enneagram. There's more i noticed, too.
It might seem trivial, but the clothing of a pastor is a big deal. Does the pastor's clothing communicate that he/she is VERY interested in trends and looking cool? That will set the trajectory for a church's identity.
Dom mazzetti as a thumbnail here.. wild
Hoping for a few good bro-tips in this vid
Reps for Jesus!
I love that you use Dom as the thumbnail... he would burst into flames walking through the door and bench press the pews
He's spot on. I've been part of storefront to 20K+ memberships. Again, he's spot on.
Amen, Nate!! This is a home run for a video about this topic. You hit so many fabulous points and every one of them needs to be heard. I've been sharing several of your videos on my FB page because I believe in your ministry, I see your passion for Christ, and I admire how you've utilized Wise Disciple to reach as many people as possible to inspire them and teach them. This is just fantastic. Bless you, brother.
My church is pretty large. I'm new to Christianity. For me church is important but not the center of my spiritual connection with Jesus. I balance my Bible app, Voddie Bauchman sermons (on UA-cam), these videos, I signed up to join a men's group within the church next month and I go to service once a week. I'm also a secretary for a recovery group. I like having different places to pull wisdom and relationships from. I know I get bored when things are always the same so this works really well for me regarding getting fed spiritually and staying driven to be closer to Jesus. I know no one asked but this is what I currently do and it's taken me to a really healthy place mentally and spiritually. Just thought I'd share in case someone else was struggling with feeling stagnant and unsure of what to do.
I really enjoy listening to Pastor Voodie Bauchman as well!
This is all wrong, the church should be the center of your life (earthly speaking). You should have dear friends in the church, be discipled by its members, disciple its members, serve in it, plant your flag in it. That is how you grow spiritually and share one another’s burdens.
Voddie Baucham would say the exact same thing. If we look at Paul his entire life was the Church, he lived for the church, grieved over them, lived for their spiritual well being, prayed for them, worried for their spiritual wellbeing, loved them, sent ministers to help them, wrote to them, etc. Your life should be around the Church, it is the only institution that Jesus Christ instituted, it is divine. Imagine saying you love your friend but not his bride or that she’s not as important as him
@@OseiasChiquellaJunior-jm2id you have the right to your opinion. I love Jesus, he is my savior. I praise him openly everywhere. I said I joined a men's group and I attend church regularly. I never said that I didn't enjoy church or advise others not to go. I just specified I connect to God in more than just the church. Not sure you read the entirety of my message but bless you and thank you for your comment. I'll consider your suggestion moving forward 🙏. Like I said I'm new it's possible I'm completely wrong with my opinion. I'll ask God for discernment on this matter.
@@carlosnader7202 Yeah I apologize if I came on too strong, my apologies. As Christians though our lives should be around the church and its people. Sanctification comes through reading of God’s word, prayer and fellowship. So brother, I would say to you please don’t forsake it, it should take precedent over everything along with the private means of grace. Hope you listen to it
In Christ.
God bless you and your family
Even in small churches, I’m wary of the ones that are overwhelmingly dominated by one man.
Hi, I’m new to UA-cam and to Wise Disciple. Nate - thank you for answering Gods call to help us become the followers we are meant to be. We appreciate you!
Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on us all☦️☦️
Amen my brother 🙏
My last megachurch here in cali has about 7000 total members. Did they all sow up every week? No. But combination of online. They also had 1 local church plant and two international plants. All tune in to the lead pastor on sundays
Church by the Glades in Florida is pretty wild, also I think David Hughs church did the Toy Story sermons, can’t remember the name of the church.
There is a story (I have never checked the truthfulness) of a church in Liverpool, UK. It started strong and grew like crazy. It was strong for 2 generations and then just dissapeared. They had never managed to pass the gospel to the 3rd and the church vanished.
It has been our watch word in our infant church to ensure that we teach the gospel at all times. Whether we grow or not, if we teach the gospel we have done our duty.
Holy Spirit was given to each for guidance in the wisdom of the Bible.
my go-to as a pastor is "What God has said is sin, is sin. It doesn't matter what society says is ok, if God has said something is sin, it is sin."
Great video!! The key questions you brought up should not be ignored. What is the church going to look like for the next generation?
I love addressing issues with specific churches or general tensions felt in multiple places. I do want to say that a large church can be healthy and a small church can be unhealthy. Size (small or big) does not correlate to health. I do think it’s not healthy to dump on mega churches in general. It’d be better to address a specific church for a specific thing instead of just making sweeping judgements on churches that you’ve never been to.
Thank you!
My church teaches the Bible verse by verse teaching in context and we probebly have 500 members. Yes some people get offended and no its not perfect, but i know so many people i love there and developed relationships through the years. If you dont have a church home, pray about it first asking God to lead you to truth.
God always leaves a rembant in each city.
I'll "Amen!" you!
i think Bill Hybels' words on the failure of the, "great experiment" of Willow Creek's "seeker sensitivity" approach applies here: (paraphrase) "we've officially become a mile wide, and an inch deep..."...
This is a much bigger issue than just being seeker friendly. I was in a mega church for about ten years. It wasn't a mega church when I started, but slowly grew into one. I guess I was the frog in the pot. It was one of the churches that held those conferences that pastors from all over the nation attended. I don't think the intent was to become as big as they became, I think it just happened, which led to hubris. The damage done to those who attended can't be measured. How they got there, is hard to quantify. All I know is that by the time it all came crashing down, and I left the church, I was categorized as a weak willed sheep for ever having attended. The ostracization of others in the faith was abusive. I haven't been able to walk into a church since. My faith is strong, and so are the panic attacks. Healing takes a long time, and I pray for the pastors of the churches across America, big and small. So many need to repent, return to their Lord, and lead accordingly. There are so many wounded sheep out there.