Can the Mega Church Be Missional?
My friend David Fitch and missiologist Ed Stetzer dialogue on the topic: Can Meagchurches Be Missional? It is part two of a missional conversation between the two, a video put out by Bill Kinnon.
Ed Stetzer & Dave Fitch – a missional conversation Part II from Bill Kinnon on Vimeo.
Thanks for putting this up here, JR.
Bill,
I’ve had a chance to see part I and part II of this discussion and really liked it. Great work. I’m looking forward to what will be posting in the future. Peace.
great video. respectful and thought provoking. great questions to wrestle through. we are finding language changes everything with how we talk and live out the word “community.” thanks again for this man.
I think Bill and Ed really embodied the kind of mature, charitable, and frank discussions that we should have as followers of the way. It made me re-think whether or not Mega-Churches can be missional. I think a key is the small groups culture in them and the perception that Sunday is not the only place ministry happens.
I think Bill and Ed both made good points. Bill said there’s something fundamentally disjointing about the sociology of Mega-church experiences, Ed said that’s true if we only look at the Sunday gathering but there’s a lot more to their story than that (via Stark’s new Baylor study). In my experience smaller local churches can be just as much a mess as Mega-churches. Mega-churches can be egotistical and personality-driven but smaller local churches can be tribalistic and mob-driven.
Lots to think about from this convo…thanks JR!
Tony,
I think you summed up the video well, and I am with you, I was impressed by the character of both men.
I dig discussions where people are as respectful of one another as these two fellows.
Thanks for posting. It has me asking new questions concerning the church on both micro and macro levels.
Ann Marie,
I am with you in that I was deeply impressed in how christ-like they were in their attitude toward one another. Dave is a good friend of mine and I was direct twitting Ed Stetzer to let him know how much I appreciate how he approached the discussion. Thanks for your comment.
[...] [9] Can the Mega-church be missional? Great discussion via video with David Fitch and Ed Stetzer (HT JR Woodward). I think its fair and balanced. If you’ve ever asked this question, this is well worth your time. [...]