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Is anyone questioning the megachurch, “Satellite” campuses, or Celebrity Pastors?

4 Jan © 2012 Mary Fairchild, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio

I was recently at a conference, and was struck by a conversation with a youth pastor.  While introducing himself, he was explaining his role, and spoke with pride how his church which already had several satellite sites was now acquiring another large congregation and its own set of satellites.  Apparently, the two megachurch pastors had been friends, and the retiring pastor asked his friend to take over his congregations.

This young man spoke with such excitement about this conglomeration of churches displaying God’s power.   He spoke with such confidence about this obvious proof of the presence of God.

He did not seem to understand that…

I listened with dread.

I listened with sorrow.

He definitely did not even imagine that I might question the megachurch movement with its satellite campuses and celebrity pastors.

As men build kingdoms and brands through the business of the church, few people seem to question the megachurch movement with its satellite campuses and celebrity pastors.

I have written on a few recent celebrity pastors (Mark Driscoll, Tullian Tchividjians) who have fallen (but may someday return).

A few writers and speakers have been brave enough to speak up, but their words have not been heeded.  I recently came across an article that I wanted to share with you by Skye Jethani.

You know something is cooking when both Relevant Magazine and the Together for the Gospel conference are talking about it. The issue I’m referring to is celebrity pastors. Rachel Held Evens’ recent article in Relevant, “When Jesus Meets TMZ,” seeks to explain the rise of celebrity pastors within evangelicalism. (A panel at the T4G conference will address the same topic in April.) Evens’ article does a good job of outlining our corrupt human tendency to make our leaders into idols–a temptation evident from Christianity’s earliest days (see 1 Corinthians 3:21), and which has marked every era of the Church. Before Osteen, Warren, and Driscoll, there were Moody, Spurgeon, and Whitefield. Celebrity pastors are not new.


What are your thoughts about celebrity pastors and the western church?





Tags: celebrity pastors, megachurches, skye jethani



