How Megachurches Celebrate Christmas

Short Answer? In a Big Way.

Had a nice call with a print reporter on “How Mega Churches Celebrate Christmas” last week. Before I brief you on what I said, let me just say how much I appreciate print journalists that still cover religion. This has been a hard year for newspaper and magazines and I appreciate those that do the due diligence on a story.

It’s a tough job because I give them 20 minutes of background and of course they can use at most, one small partial sentence. I am often unclear why they chose that sentence instead of others but they are trying to do their job.

On with the story. The reporter was primarily interested in the differences between “normal” churches and megachurches in their approach. In his community, “normal” means a “First” Church of an old-line denomination. His own community is dominated by Large Catholic Parishes and large, evangelical churches are in the real minority.

I had several areas of emphasis and they all don’t apply to all mega churches but here is what I think he would find:

a. Context and Community dictate – Just as the “normal” church follows a tradition for their worshipping community, the context and community of a megachurch follows. So, for example, in broad generalities, if a megachurch is in a newer community with lots of young families that tend to “travel home” for Christmas, their schedules will look different from communities where lots of people “stay home” for Christmas. Normally, communities with lots of new housing, new elementary schools and new kids is a “travel home” community vs a settled community which is a “stay home” community.

b. Likewise the aim of the church is also important. Again in broad generalities here and not being critical of either “normal” or “mega”. “Normal churches” tend to design Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services around those that are already believers. It is surely a high holy worship day for believers and that is a logical and fruitful path.

Megachurches tend to design Christmas Season and Christmas Eve services for those who have yet to believe. That is also a logical and fruitful path. True, most of those that attend these services are already followers of Jesus BUT the intent is to give an opportunity for those that follow to invite those that don’t follow.

In other words, Megachurches tend to make this a strong season for reaching out to non believers and that influences a lot of the other things below.

c. LOTS of services – For “normal churches” the pattern seems to be perhaps one extra service on Christmas Eve and perhaps one on Christmas Day (though I am seeing less of that these days.)

For Megachurches it seems like double or triple the number of special services during the season. I noted that many started this past weekend and will also have multiple services on the 23^rd and 24^th this year. A few of these have specialized services targeting children but most use an identical format for all these special services.

All of these services have a Christmas/Advent theme, clear message, lots of music and are designed for those that may only attend a church service a few times a year. I will say that they rarely if ever acknowledge verbally though that they know you are only here once a year.

For “normal” churches the services may have a nod toward the “once a year” crowd, and often make a comment that way, but the service is designed more for the regular worshipping community that gathers on a regular basis at the church.

I can see value in both approaches.

A shorthand way of saying it is that many megachurches make this a season focused on reaching the ungathered in the community and “normal” churches focus on gathering the community of faith.

d. Outreach to the Poor – I see many more megachurches emphasizing outreach to the poor during this season. Normal churches do the same. Megachurches tend to have big, high profile projects that match their scale. In some cases due to their scale and profile, megachurches attract local business and community support that a “normal” size church does not.

I think “normal” churches also do a good job in customizing care, concern and outreach to the poor and give it a greater emphasis during this season.

In the case of some megachurches, this outreach to the poor is often the central celebration of the season.

e. The Anti Consumerist Christmas – the growing trend, helped along by the Advent Conspiracy folks and others, is the move to de emphasize the consumerist binging at Christmas. I have seen lots of churches picking up on these themes and at the same time adopting projects, both local and global, that serve the poor in specific, tangible ways.

“Let’s give the kids small gifts and give big gifts to the world.”

This is similar to “normal” churches special financial offerings for missions and local benevolence funds during this season. I think the difference is in specificity and targeting for these offerings. The difference is in the anti consumerist messages.

 These projects are being adopted by churches of all sizes but you hear about them more from megachurches, again due to scale.

f. “We shut down for Christmas” – This was the story that made lots of ruckus and news a few years ago when Christmas actually fell on a Sunday. A minority of prominent mega churches did not hold services that day. They became the subject of great ridicule in many quarters.

I actually believe that TOTAL attendance across all Christian congregations in the

US

reached a record that year for the week before through Christmas Day. It is clearly an educated guess but I had figures from the same churches being criticized on the overwhelming numbers of people attending the weekends before and the special Christmas Eve services. I had strong reports as well from churches that had Christmas Day services. Plus we had record mild weather over most of the

US

that December meaning that people could go to church without hindrance during that month. (Unlike the Blizzard this weekend in the mid atlantic states). We are going to have the same story again in a few years.

The other factor is a growing number of megachurches that tend to have extensive Children’s ministries that either don’t have services the weekend after Christmas or on Christmas Day due to the scramble to have enough workers that day. Instead of creating a sub standard experience for the children, they choose to “give workers a weekend off” and as a back up, some have special family services that weekend or none at all.

I note that this year, with Christmas on a Friday, that many larger churches are having abbreviated schedules on Sunday the 27^th and many cancelling their Saturday night services the 26^th.

Another group is not having services at all after Christmas Eve.

Again, see letter (a) above for community and context. This tends to be the pattern based on “travel home” or “stay home.”

I have a few more Christmas Season posts to share later in the week. Another thing I have noticed this week is that many of my emails to pastors are bouncing back as “out of office” as preparations for the Christmas Eve, and Christmas Eve Eve services are in full prep.

So if you are one of the few still working this week, please comment and share what you are seeing in your community. Who knows? Maybe the reporter will call you next time.

 Dave Travis

Managing Director

Leadership Network

www.twitter.com/davetravis