Comparing and Contrasting Mega-Congregations

Sam Hamstra | Jan 11, 2011

Last month I attended the midnight Christmas service at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Palos Hills, Illinois. I had always wanted to attend such a service, but had never been able to until this past holiday season when my schedule allowed. Last week, at the invitation of my son, I attended the Saturday afternoon service of Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park, Illinois; we were drawn there by the presence of Josh and Kate Hamilton. Josh is a Major League Baseball player with the Texas Rangers and who, as a Christian, has an incredible testimony of God’s grace.
 
Something prompted me to compare the two experiences and, when I did, I was surprised by both the similarities and differences.
 
First the similarities:

  • both congregations may be described as mega-churches with expansive and excellent facilities, beginning with large parking lots, welcoming entrances, and large gatherings spaces where more than 1500 people can be seated at one time; 
  • both congregations happened to be hosting out-of-the-ordinary services that drew more than the usual number of people, leaving many people standing against the back walls of the gathering spaces;
  • both congregations were predominantly caucasian;
  • both congregations offered pre-service music: in one I listened to 30 minutes of Christmas music by the choir and wind ensemble, while in the other I listened to a three and half minute rendition of “Centerfield” by John Fogerty, accompanied by a video clips of historic moments in Major League Baseball;
  • both services employed professional leadership, one a priest and cantor, the other a pastor and worship leader;
  • both services involved volunteers on the platform: at Sacred Heart, volunteers read Scripture, sang in the choir, and played instruments in the wind ensemble, while at Parkview volunteers sang in the worship team and played instruments in the band;
  • both services included opportunity for congregational singing, but in both settings most of the people did not sing;
  • both services included prayers, announcements, an offering, and the Lord’s Supper;
  • neither service included evidence of what are commonly called “the extraordinary gifts” of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and interpretation;
  • both congregations provided words—one in a book, and the other, on the screen—to prompt participation by those gathered; 
  • God spoke to me during both services.  With the Sacred Heart congregation, I was able to receive afresh the good news of Christ's coming and challenged to embody the attitude of Christ who humbled himself to become human. With the Parkview congregation, I was reminded of God's incredible power and grace to redeem and restore us; I came away affirming that there is hope for what matters in life.

 And now, for the differences.

  • At Sacred Heart, the dress code for those on the platform was formal (robes and suits), while at Parkview the dress code was casual (jeans, plus the pastor wore a Texas Rangers jersey).
  • The gathering space at Sacred Heart was sacred space enhanced by many symbols, including the crèche. The gathering space at Parkview was common space enhanced by technology, including three screens and plenty of eye-catching PowerPoint slides.
  • The Sacred Heart musicians were off to the side of the platform, while the Parkview musicians were front and center.
  • The Sacred Heart was bi-lingual with most of the service in English, but parts in Polish; the Parkview service was conducted in English.
  • The service with Sacred Heart was filled with the reading of Scripture, while the service with Parkview did not include the reading of Scripture.
  • The service with Sacred Heart included two sermons (English & Polish), but no testimony; the Parkview service included a testimony, but no sermon.
  • The Sacred Heart service was “formed,” and included elements like the Lord’s Prayer and the Nicene Creed; the Parkview service was “free” and did not include such traditional elements. As a result, one service portrayed the Christian faith as one with roots, the other as relevant.

In outlining the similarities and differences of two mega-church congregations in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, I am led to at least a couple observations. First, without making a value judgment, it was clear to me that the Sacred Heart service was counter-cultural and that the Parkview service reflected culture. Good or bad, right or wrong, the Sacred Heart service differed from any other experience I had shared outside of the church during the holiday season, while the Parkview service felt remarkably similar to much I experience daily in the world. 
 
Second, employing the labels we customarily use in religious dialogue, it seems that Sacred Heart may be characterized as conservative and traditional, while Parkview may be viewed as progressive and contemporary.
 
Third, I wonder which, if either, Martin Luther would have found troublesome. I am currently teaching a class at Northern Seminary on the history of Christianity from the Reformation forward. Our first stop is sixteenth-century Wittenberg, Germany, where Martin Luther, a Roman Catholic priest and professor, launched a progressive movement that has come to be called the “Protestant Reformation.”
 
I have a hard time believing that Luther would have had any reservations with Sacred Heart’s midnight Christmas service, but I wonder about Parkview. I am guessing he would have been troubled by the absence of Scripture and sermon, even though, nine times out of ten, if not more, Parkview services include these elements. In the end, I am left wondering: Would Luther, the original Protestant, protest what has come of Protestantism or Roman Catholicism?

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