I received an email from a parishioner asking me about The Progressive Christian magazine. I had received some announcements about it in several mailings, so I thought I’d check out some of the articles. One in particular caught my attention.
Usually, one doesn’t think of progressive Christians being the biggest supporters of megachurches, so I was surprised to see an article by Dr. Scott Thumma, Learning from the Megachurches: An Emphasis on Vitality, Not Size. He shares a lot of good thoughts. You’ll want to read the whole article, but here are the bullet points he makes:
- Don’t strive for size; strive to serve God.
- Know your audience and speak their language.
- Make it appealing and welcoming, then make it serious and challenging.
- Church is more than just a “Sunday thing.”
- Create participants rather than members.
- Get new attendees involved.
- Connect the congregation.
- Growth in the faith isn’t just for new Christians; it’s for the saints too.
- Empower people to identify and live out their calling.
- Whatever you do – do it with quality.
I think these are all worthy of a few moments of reflection wherever it is that you serve. Rural, urban, suburban, and small towns could all learn something from these points.
mattjudkins.com 
so is that supposed to be landmarks of only megachurches? seems pretty universal to me. i think the things that make megachurches so big are much more subtle than this. though this is a good core to start with.
Well Gavin, I guess that’s what he’s trying to do, the old modern distillation of universal principles from “successful” models of ministry. Thanks for a good point.