Two Rivers BC

[KeithE]

Fights usually lead to dwindling attendance. Or is the loss due to nearby Opry Mills Mall not being rebuilt after flood.

[William Thornton]

[Sandy]

Two Rivers isn't the only mega that has had to "rebrand" and step back from the direction they were going. It's happening all over the country. As the first generation of mega pastors ages and passes off the scene, the churches lose members because they were built around their personalities. But there are other factors at work. Megachurches cannot function as biblical churches because they are too big, and people begin to drift, looking for a more intimate experience. The small group movement is capturing the same group of younger believers that the megas go after. They are also discovering that as the generation of people past 55 begins to die off, the monetary resources that are needed for these big cash consuming machines, paying worship bands gigantic amounts, humongous salaries for pastors, and flashy, expensive buildings, are not materializing from the rest of the membership. They are also discovering that, while those things to attract people, in the long run, they don't attract many sincere Christians interested in actually practicing their faith. Ultimately, they collapse in on themselves.

[John Sneed]

Sandy,

That is probably one of the best explanations I have seen, in short form, for the phenominon of the passing away of the mega churches.

[Haruo]

Agreed, Sandy, that looks like a sound analysis of the situation. Here in Seattle I'm wondering what will become of , post-Driscoll. Mars Hill sort of straddles the fence between a traditional big-box megachurch and a multicampus, small-group-centered approach. But it looks to me like the cult of personality is likely to be too strong to avoid a collapse.