[toj.cc]WildBillKickoff said:
It woud require a HUGE amount of organization and an incredible small group program to foster any type of community there. Even so, I would think that the reason a lot of folks go to megachurches is so they can remain anonymous-- which defeats part of the purpose of going to church in the first place.
I would agree that some people go to a megachurch in order to remain anonymous, but megachurches aren't a bad thing at all. In many cases, there's a good reason they've grown into that size of a church. Typically they had a good leader (pastor) who followed God and God blessed that church. I'm not saying all the time, but many times that is the case. You just really need to examine the pastor and see where he's led and where he's leading the church. And even then, just because a church has a great pastor, it doesn't mean that's the church for you. God has a place for everyone.
As for the small groups/life groups, that is the main source for unity and community. Without it, the church suffers no matter what size the church is. The 'church' in New Testament times consisted of groups of believers who met in homes and fellowshipped. They would then go to the Temple and hear the word and worship God. The same goes for any church today. The 'church' building is a place to worship God, be shepharded (sp?) and connect with other believers. Then they can use those connections to join in a small group/life group either at the church or at someone's home. Does it take organization. Possibly. But God will provide organization if you let Him.
Community isn't made in worship services. That time is for you to worship God and let Him give you guidance through your pastor. Too many times people in a church believes that is where community comes from, so they spend too much of that time trying to connect to everyone and leave God out.
I'll leave this post with this thought. Some people in my old church (which was a small country church...I go to a bigger church, now) said that they didn't want the church to grow. They were afraid the church would get too big and they would lose that sense of community. But by being afraid of that happening, they were hindering God's work in the church. If God is moving, He will bring the people and the resources, thus the church will inevitably grow.
And I think we all know there is more of a difference here.
