Why You Shouldn’t Borrow Megachurch Models that Don’t Fit Your Church
Many churches unintentionally overextend themselves by mimicking megachurch strategies that don’t fit their current size or structure. While larger churches invest in high-end production, massive events, and complex systems, smaller churches chasing those same models often end up burnt out, over-budget, and discouraged. It’s not that megachurches are wrong in these practices; it just means quite a bit of what they do can’t be scaled down to the local church. Attempting to emulate them accomplishes the exact opposite of what these models are intended to do: build a sustainable, thriving community.
Sustainability is important in ministry; it’s what keeps the church from being a series of one-off events. If your ministry isn’t in a position to sustain when adopting these megachurch systems, you’ll burn out your team and your finances very quickly. This does not mean there isn’t anything to gain from the practices that megachurches adopt. There are things larger operations do that you can start working on now. We’ll run through a few takeaways you can use in the form of dos and don’ts:
Don’t: Blow Your Production Budget; Do: Build an Intentional Worship Experience
A good worship experience isn’t built on expensive gear; it’s built on intentionality. Not everyone needs a huge audio, video, or lighting setup to create an attractive and engaging worship experience. There are plenty of low-cost stage and production setups that are honest to your budget (and stop it from becoming a money pit). A multi-cam setup doesn’t need to be over $10k. You don’t have to install a $25k LED wall for your stage to look attractive. What you need is a setup that is clean, consistent, and works for where you are now.
First, determine your goals and consider the actual cost and ROI (lives impacted, spiritual growth, increase in small group engagement, etc). Then, take a moment to examine your current setup and compare it with the low-cost stage design or production rigs you can find on sites like YouTube or Google. Develop your plan, stick to it, and execute it. As you prayerfully seek and plan for growth and expansion, properly budget for annual upgrades that make sense for your church.
Don’t: Plan Events Outside Your Means; Do: Create Focused Outreach with Measurable Purpose
You should host events that bring people together and invite people into what your church is doing. However, if you plan an outreach with a budget that’s out of your reach, your community-building effort will ultimately backfire. Your event follow-up requires just as much time, effort, and resources as the event itself. Furthermore, people often don’t respond to an invitation without a level of trust being established. It’s difficult to build that trust without consistency.
A good rule of thumb: if your team couldn’t run the same event in 3 months without burnout, you may need to reconsider the scale and frequency of the event. Outreach should be a part of your ministry’s rhythm, not a strenuous, unrepeatable practice. Keep 1-2 major events that you can repeat annually without disrupting or suspending your weekly and/or monthly operations. You may also want to focus on making your recurring events (including your services) an inviting and repeatable experience. A consistent presence is a greater invitation than one big event.
Don’t: Turn Your Entire Church into a Media Company; Do: Streamline Content Creation & Delivery
Get rid of the idea that your church needs to become a “content creator house.” Most churches don’t need multiple social media accounts, podcast shows, or even a daily posts schedule to “win” online. If anything, most churches need more singular focuses. They should start by growing one social media platform. Then, create a repeatable week-long social media calendar with a sustainable posting schedule. The point is to narrow your workflow so it can be done within a reasonable timeframe (respective to team size, if you have one).
The easiest win here is taking a “macro” content piece (like a sermon), and breaking it down to “micro” content pieces (reels, quote graphics, introspective questions, etc). There’s also a rise of AI tools that can turn sermons into micro-content. This is ok if you don’t have a team that can create intentional, point-focused material. As long as you’re doing it with a clear goal (beyond content living on your page), it can be a great asset to smaller operations.
The truth is, most megachurch models don’t translate well to the local church. However, some of their strategies (and the purpose behind them) can be used in churches at any stage. Mirroring these practices without purpose will most likely end in burnout or disappointment. Only once you recognize the heart behind the practice can they truly serve your church’s mission and vision. We’ll explore a few more dos and don’ts in our next installment of this article!
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