Lakewood Tops List of Fastest-Growing U.S. Churches

The Gospel Herald ^ | Aug. 31, 2006 | Lillian Kwon

[ichabod1]

Second Baptist, here in Houston, is up to FIVE campuses now.

[ichabod1]

At MY church, the pastors work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

[ichabod1]

ONly pointing out that in a large body, there is more than one person who can give you that care, and many times, better than the pastor. (For they are called into that ministry.)

Or, you can get some well meaning soul for whom it's more about their need to help you than it is whether you are ultimately helped or not.

Then there's the trap of asking for help and being told you need to get busy and help somebody else. Only later do you realize sometimes you need to minister, sometimes to receive it.

[ichabod1]

I don't know about the globe thing, cuz I don't watch Joel any more, but his Joel Osteen Ministries logo on the outside has crescents in it.

[ichabod1]

Jesus Malls. One of the earlier posters admitted it, you never have to go anywhere else.

[Larry Lucido]

Just think, Alex, if we ever go to a theonomy, Lakewood will be electing our representatives, Osteen will be president and criticism of his teachings will be blasphemy. Sure you don't wanna just be happy with a more-or-less laissez-faire constitutional republic? :-)

[aomagrat]

In 2005, Lakewood, led by Joel Osteen, gained a total of 12,000 members.

He doesn't have a congregation, he has an audience.

[Larry Lucido]

"Jesus saves at the Jesus Mall. You can too!"

[Larry Lucido]

The mega churches are worse than circuses. Worse.

All of them?

[proud_2_B_texasgal]

Or, you can get some well meaning soul for whom it's more about their need to help you than it is whether you are ultimately helped or not.

And sometimes that person IS your pastor ....

Listen, I'm not here to argue with you, and I don't go to a mega church, and you can get bad/or no ministering to at all kinds of churches.

I think we just need to plug into Jesus, read the Word, pray pray pray, and listen to the HOly Spirit, and be obedient....

I've disregarded 'advise' before because of a check in my spirit, and I've received awesome words from people at the most unique times.

Walk your own walk, don't depend on others, seek God first, He'll lead ya right where you're supposed to be.

God Bless

[Coldwater Creek]

Why in the world would you call yourself ichabod????

[ichabod1]

Ichabod: "The Glory of the Lord Hath Gone Out Of Israel"

I chose it in a moment of extreme discouragement about Israel.

[Coldwater Creek]

That's a relief. I knew what Ichabod meant, and I thought that you had chosen that for you personally. That's what happens when you think!

[marshmallow]

Ah yes.....the "numbers game".

Unfortunately, "growth" in the spiritual life is not measured by butts on seats. It's measured by the fruit which the Word produces in the daily lives of its listeners.

The true Gospel is spread in obscurity one person at a time, away from the glare of TV lights and instigated by example.

[ichabod1]

Thanks for asking... ;o)

[TexanToTheCore]

Second is the best. Scriptural teaching at its finest.


Red meat every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday evening. Ok....so I go to church alot.

[TexanToTheCore]

"The thing that concerns me about this is you still have problems getting one on one pastoral care."

At my Giga church I know the head guy, he knows me and my wife. Most large churches have many pastors who give pastoral care. I know a dozen pastors from my church and they know me, my phone number, my email address and what ministries I am involved in. If I have a need for personal pastoral care, I know who to call and they swing into action.

If I find that someone else needs that care, I make a call and people and resources are put into motion. In many ways, this is the first church I have ever belonged to in which help was immediately available to just the average parishioner.

I alos get buttonholed for projects that they need done.

A church full of Christian activists.

Second Rocks!

[ark_girl]

I know this is an old thread, but I saw it off of another thread.

I go to a fairly large church with several thousand members. No, I don't get a lot of personal attention from the teaching pastors, but between my small group leader, the singles pastor, the women's ministry staff, the shepherding elders who are over the singles and young married ministries, and the pastors over the ministries that I serve in, there are plenty of people I can and have gone to if I have questions or problems. When my dad was hospitalized, these the singles pastor, my small group members, and the guy who is in charge of the main ministry I've served in for a long time were who showed up and were there for me.

I like our main pastor a lot. I just know he has a lot on his plate, so I go to these other people. These are Godly people. Some of them are lay people and some of them are seminary trained.

Frankly, in my case, I grew up in a small Baptist church and the singles out of college just plain didn't fit in when I was growing up. There were never very many of them and all of the church activities were centered around families (which made sense...the vast majority of the members were young families and older empty nesters).

Going to a large church means that by sheer numbers, there are enough singles to have a good singles ministry. My small group is all young single women, so we all have similar struggles, are going through similar experiences, and (frankly) have compatible schedules. It works well. I still get to be around families and married people for some stuff, but sometimes it's nice to be around people who understand where you're coming from. The Bible studies during those groups can talk about some of the struggles of being single in addition to the regular stuff. Being in a large church opens up that opportunity.

That's just my experience.