"It was a necessary evil to bring us back to a God-consciousness," said the younger Paulk, explaining that the church had become too personality-driven and prone to pastor worship.Jesus is Lord -- pastor worship is a scary thing, especially in these megachurches.The flashy megachurch began in 1960 with just a few dozen members in the Little Five Points neighborhood of Atlanta. Now, it is in the suburbs on a 100-acre expanse, a collection of buildings surrounding a neo-Gothic cathedral.
It drives me nuts when someone says, "Oh yea, that ministry/Bible study/whatever is at Joe Schmoe's church." (Joe Schmoe being the pastor).
It is not Pastor Joe Schmoe's church, it is Christ's church!
The example that comes to mind is not even a megachurch, it's a Presbyterian church with probably... three to five hundred or so congregants. No denomination is immune.
I'll never forget a former co-worker of mine describing the toils of the "ordination" process she was involved with at her black Baptist-turned-independent-non-denominational city church. The pastor, who, along with his wife, sold their sermons and other such things as part of their joint "ministry", and was often too busy to attend his flock, leaving that up to the deaconate. At the same time, somehow this minister was made a "bishop" presiding over several other independent churches in the region.
Members of the deaconate and their equivalent of a session (I'm a Presbyterian and am not readily familiar with the structure of her "independent non-denominational church", but then again, who is?) had to purchase these elaborate gowns and such with their own dime for this lavishly orchestrated "ordination" ceremony for the "bishop".
Prea-cher wor-ship.