This month we have connected with a Mega-church in Kuala Lumpur called Kingdom City. We have a lot of freedom this month because our ministry is ATL. This means Ask The Lord; everyday we ask God to reveal to us what He wants us to do for ministry. We were dropped off in Kuala Lumpur with nowhere to live, no contacts and no guidance for the month; just complete reliance on the Lord. A few hours before we arrived in the city we were blessed to find a hostel that has had teams before and was willing to give us a huge discount so we could stay there for the month. Everyday looks different for everyone on the team. But one thing we all do together is church.
We chose an international church so we could attend English services and connect with the church community. A teammate found Kingdom City. KC is an amazing church community that has over 12,000 members around the world in 7 cities with a new church in Dubai just beginning, all this in only 10 years. The church sings songs we know and preaches in English so it’s easier for us to worship.
Sounds great but as soon as I head about the church we were going to attend all I could think is “But it’s a Mega-church.”
I grew up Lutheran, part of me still identifies as a Lutheran. The Lutheran church is conservative, traditional, and community is emphasized and tight knit. This is something I have always loved about my churches growing up. You knew everyone in the church and you could feel the love and dedication to community that Lutherans have.
I grew up with a certain perception of Mega-churches. In my mind they were big money making productions. A big show led by a middle aged or older balding white dude who had written a book and had a podcast. A place where community only existed for those who attended small groups or served on Sundays. A place where people just came to see a good show.
The past week in Kuala Lumpur had revealed a lot to me. On the Race I have been to a lot of churches. I have attended the village church where people dropped to the floor and looked like they were seizing only to find out that the church believed they were overcome with the Holy Spirit. I have been to a very westernized church that felt just like the ones I grew up in. I have been to a Mega-church that put on an incredible service. I have been to a large rural Rwandan church where you sit in lawn chairs and listen to 8 different choirs sing gorgeous songs I can’t understand.
But the revelation I want to share is one that I didn’t have until I got immersed in the world of a Mega-church, until I experienced the church I had believed for so long was fake and only interested in money.
A church is a church no matter how big. A church is a church no matter how small. A church is a church no matter its size.
Yes, there are some Mega-churches that have leadership with bad intentions and misguided intentions. But the same can be said for leadership in other denominations. I experienced that in a Lutheran church where a new pastor turned into a loan shark instead of an expression of the love and grace of Jesus Christ that we are called to be.
What I have learned on the Race is that worship comes in all shapes and sizes. Everyone has different worship styles. Some absorb the worship, they sit or stand and just absorb all the Jesus and maybe sing along. Some people stand and raise their arms and reach to the heavens. Some dance around the sanctuary with the Holy Spirit. Some people pace around and pray and sing. Some drop to their knees and cry because they are overcome with the love. While I may not dance around the sanctuary, that doesn’t make the person who does dance weird or unwelcome to the same place of worship. It makes us sisters in Christ.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
-Ephesians 2:19-22
Some people get bored in the Lutheran Church. I know I can’t focus when I attend a Catholic service. Some people are experiential worshippers and need the loud music and plethora of worship songs. Some people prefer the choir on a Sunday with the piano playing their favorite hymns. Neither is more or less valid than the other.
The church we have been attending does community really well. They have awesome small groups and you can just tell by the way everyone is interacting with each other that no one is lost among this community. If you want community in this church it is here and it is welcoming.
The Mega-church we are attending in Kuala Lumpur is growing at an unprecedented rate. In just 5 years they have expanded from one city, one campus, to 7 cities with 13 campuses and 33 Sunday services.
This kind of growth is incredibly impressive.
There senior pastor shared an amazing piece of wisdom that shook all my negativity towards these churches.
He said when people ask what is your church doing for the homeless, what is your church doing for the community? He could respond but it would take forever to figure it all out. He would have to sit down with every church member and tally all the things they are doing for the community. Some teach underprivileged kids, some teach kids with special needs, some do street ministry, and the list goes on. By the time he figured it all out he would have a huge book.
His church’s main goal is to minister to the people who come to the church and equip them with the tools and discipleship skills they need to go out into the community and serve like Jesus. So by focusing on loving and ministering to the people who come through the doors every Sunday the church is ministering to the community and serving the community’s needs.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
-Ephesians 2:19-22
A church is a church no matter how big. A church is a church no matter how small. A church is a church no matter its size.
