Maybe the churches could see it through the bust time if they had lots of porn like the Internet.

Most of these places are really just entertainment complexes. Eventually the customers get bored and if they can't bring in enough replacements for those that leave, the whole thing collapses.

Couldn't happen to a nicer group of people...

There are several around here I would like to see fail, any church that requires its members to provide W2s to make sure they are tithing enough does not deserve to exist.

I understand why the dot.com bubble and the housing bubble were bad, but I fail to see the downside of the other.

Finally, an economic collapse that restores a little of my faith in humanity.

Well. Bye.

loser0: I understand why the dot.com bubble and the housing bubble were bad, but I fail to see the downside of the other.

Because we'll hear endless whining about how the youth o' today don't bow down and slob enough God-knob?

nekom: I don't get those things at all. I'm far from the religious type, but I grew up going to some backwoods country church. I occasionally pop in there to get married or for a funeral, that's about it. But the minister knows me. He knows my entire family. He knows everyone who goes there personally. That's what a church is supposed to be, isn't it? A church should feel like Cheers,not like Wal-Mart.

This, especially the last sentence.

"But like the big-box retailers they often resemble, Thumma believes, megachurches are here to stay."

CompUSA, Circuit City, Best Buy UK, BlockBuster, KB Toys, Borders would all like a word with you.

Maybe they should have listened to those prosperity gospel types.

I'm ok with this.

Tom_Slick:
What church does that?

James!: If only they had someone with absolute authority to help them out.

Beat me to it. *shakes tiny fist in anger*

/wish I could own a business that sells the baptismal fonts and other religious decorations to these places
//devout atheist

There's nothing like waking up to some good news.

I'll help out by leaving a few of these in the collection plate.

nekom: I don't get those things at all. I'm far from the religious type, but I grew up going to some backwoods country church. I occasionally pop in there to get married or for a funeral, that's about it. But the minister knows me. He knows my entire family. He knows everyone who goes there personally. That's what a church is supposed to be, isn't it? A church should feel like Cheers,not like Wal-Mart.

NORM!

What is it that makes this "ironic"?...

The mega churches need to do what the dot.com's and housing's people didnt.

Use Metal Blade.

Tom_Slick: There are several around here I would like to see fail, any church that requires its members to provide W2s to make sure they are tithing enough does not deserve to exist.

churches actually do that??

Sock Ruh Tease: Maybe they should have listened to those prosperity gospel types.

If these were truly godly churches, God would have MADE them rich. With pyramid schemes. Just like the Pentecostals.

nekom: A church should feel like Cheers,not like Wal-Mart.

If they served alcohol like on Cheers, they wouldn't be struggling right now. And that 0.01 ounce of grape juice they call "wine" doesn't count.

Awww, I always enjoyed Six Flags over Jesus.

Well, enjoyed making fun of them, anyway.

Tom_Slick: There are several around here I would like to see fail, any church that requires its members to provide W2s to make sure they are tithing enough does not deserve to exist.

There are better uses for tithe money than to fund the exobantant lifstyles of these so called preachers.


Anyone who feels the need to throw away good money to feel good about themselves is welcome to send it my way. EIP

if they rented out the little boys that they are farking in the back room, they should be able to raise some serious cash.

One thing is certain about churches, is that they are full of sinners.

RaoulDeWondernewt: Tom_Slick:
What church does that?


A place in Gainesville GA a monstrous church with obvious blatant political aspirations, corrupt to the core.

Given the lack of education/class/taste necessary to attend one of said churches firmly places its parishioners in the bottom 50% of the 99%. I find this to be a rather welcome proceeding, and hopefully the collapse will cause people to reevaluate their finances.

Mythical beings aren't going to help you in life; lining someones pockets to string the fallacy along is simply idiotic.

baby boomer pastors

some fear the big-box worship centers with lots of individual programs no longer appeal to younger generations

all churches are vulnerable when they switch pastors or when their demographics change.


Mr. Journalist, you're dancing around the issue, here. Data probably exists on this -- are these churches, or are they not, capable of holding onto large numbers of parishoners' kids as they grow up into college age and beyond? Are these churches basically a Boomer/Generation Jones phenomenon?


""It was the power of God desire to be part of a 'scene' that brought people to the church ..." Smith said."

Fixed that for him.

Mega churches are failing? I don't have a problem with this.

BeerBear: churches actually do that??

Yes, if you want to become a member you must submit paperwork if you just want to go then no you don't

Fireproof: nekom: I don't get those things at all. I'm far from the religious type, but I grew up going to some backwoods country church. I occasionally pop in there to get married or for a funeral, that's about it. But the minister knows me. He knows my entire family. He knows everyone who goes there personally. That's what a church is supposed to be, isn't it? A church should feel like Cheers,not like Wal-Mart.

This, especially the last sentence.

Yep, same for me. My little farm church is the only church I will attend. I am Baptized there, a member, and it is about 40-50 people with three or four family names who all know each other and take care of each other. It's a micro-community, not an entertainment complex, as EngineerAU puts it. The Joel Osteens of the world are not for me.

nekom: I don't get those things at all. I'm far from the religious type, but I grew up going to some backwoods country church. I occasionally pop in there to get married or for a funeral, that's about it. But the minister knows me. He knows my entire family. He knows everyone who goes there personally. That's what a church is supposed to be, isn't it? A church should feel like Cheers,not like Wal-Mart.

I used to go to church with my family before I realized that mythology was pointless, and that was how things were with their church. Show up on Sunday morning, stick around for the church elders meeting after services, schedule gardening and other voluntary functions for the rest of the week. In the evening, everybody would pile into the basement to eat chili, drink beer and watch football. So the Cheers comparison is quite appropriate there.

nekom: I don't get those things at all. I'm far from the religious type, but I grew up going to some backwoods country church. I occasionally pop in there to get married or for a funeral, that's about it. But the minister knows me. He knows my entire family. He knows everyone who goes there personally. That's what a church is supposed to be, isn't it? A church should feel like Cheers,not like Wal-Mart.

IMO, that's what it's supposed to be. The OG churches back in the 1st century (the era written of in the New Testament's Book of Acts) were what would be called "house churches" these days, and only some of the larger groups would have been in acquired and/or purpose-built properties. I've attended churches with average attendances of 25 to 2000, and prefer the lower end of the scale by far.

While my family's current church is a purpose-built structure (as are most churches in America) it's would hardly be considered fancy at all. Since it was constructed in the early 2000s, it has a LCD projector (which replaced hymnals for displaying the lyrics being sung) and all the necessary hookups for a modest set of microphones and guitar amps for the worship team, but from the outside it almost looks like a slightly larger and taller-than-average ranch house with a nice corrugated metal roof like those that you see on newer school buildings.

The way I see it, procuring an unnecessarily large, fancy and/or expensive church building is very poor stewardship of the resources that the congregation has entrusted to the church leadership. There are several much better uses of the money which are more in line with what the core mission of a church should be (charity, missionary work, etc.)

/too many people forget that the Church is the people, not the building!
//Protestant, can't comment on how Catholics do things due to lack of institutional knowledge

futher_mucker: What is it that makes this "ironic"?...

Because many/most of these Megachurches liked to incorporate a little doctrine called "Prosperity Gospel" which says that the rich are that way because they are good and Holy and God loves them, and that poor people need to pray more and work hard and then one day they will be rich if God smiles upon them, and people who stay poor are that way because they are evil sinners.

In other words, it's feel-good spiritual pablum that tries to sate Rich White Person Guilt and is very non-threatening to middle-class to upper-class people.

So, churches that preached that financial prosperity is a sign of divine favor. . .are going bankrupt.

So yeah, Ironic tag is appropriate.

So much for a system of mandatory tithing. Looks like the church dried up the well of the people's wallets

And nothing of value was lost.

nekom: I occasionally pop in there to get married
For some reason this part made me literally laugh out loud. Not good with a mouthful of coffee!

FTFA: "It was the power of God that brought people to the church - and I don't know how we got away from that," Smith said. "That's a question I've asked myself a thousand times."

I don't know...could it be...SATAN?

\either that, or all those atheist billboards are finally having the desired effect

Fireproof: A church should feel like Cheers,not like Wal-Mart.

While the community of smaller organizations is nice, my experience has been that most small churches are places where, should you have a doctrinal disagreement with the leadership or come out as gay or something, everyone forgets your name....

"Most megachurches - which earn that label around the 2,000-attendance level - are led by baby boomer pastors who soon will hit retirement age and without suitable replacements in the pipeline. And some fear the big-box worship centers with lots of individual programs no longer appeal to younger generations"

/amen

And not a single fark was given.