Last Friday Pam and I attended seminars at Granger Community Church near South Bend, Ind. It’s considered one of the nation’s most innovative churches. They run about 6000 people on Sundays, and they focus laser-like on reaching the lost. I took a seminar on Communications, and Pam took one called “Maximizing the Arts,” which revolved around worship. Both were excellent.

Granger is a superb church. I loved hearing about their ministry. Loved gleaning great ideas. I highly respect what they do. And I’m glad I don’t go there.

Size matters. The critical mass of people and money enable a church to do things with great quality. And it enables a whole lot of people to go under-used in ministry. The demand for high expertise (to reach the desired level of quality) means many talented (but not highly talented) people ride the bench. I basically did that for a number of years at my previous, fast-growing church (my fault–there was no need for my service, so I didn’t provide much service). At Anchor I have no doubts about how much I’m needed, and I can work my butt off in ministry. I can truly use all of my skills and gifts in fulfilling ways, and do things that give me great joy (like playing the piano), whereas at a megachurch I would have little to offer.

At the end of the day, we got a tour of the Granger facility. Our guide, a fellow in his 50s, clearly loved being part of something alive and growing. He was articulate, a good thinker, probably a successful professional. And I thought of how valuable a guy like that would be at Anchor, and how much he could do to help us reach our neighborhood for Christ. More than he’s doing at Granger…?

But churches like Granger are doing wonderful things. I can’t knock them. Nor do I accept the postmodernist arguments that the days of the megachurch are numbered. I think those days are just beginning. Many people (like me) will be drawn to small communities. But it seems that a much larger number of people will be drawn to megachurches–good for some people, bad for others. Sorry, Brian McLaren, but I don’t see the sky falling on megachurches.