A Tour of America’s Largest New Mega-Church: Southeast Christian
The trend towards building larger and larger mega-churches in the United States continues. In 1998 there was a reported six billion dollars in new church construction. This past week this writer went to visit Southeast Christian Church, located in a southeast suburb of Louisville, Kentucky, hence the name, Southeast Christian. By comparison, Southeast Christian dwarfs the well known Willow Creek Church in Barrington, Illinois, by more than 4,000 seats.
On Easter weekend Southeast Christian worshipped about 36,000 people. On an average weekend with one Saturday evening service and two Sunday services they worship between 12,000 and 15,000 during the Summer. Since the first service held in the new facility on Christmas, 1998, until June 1, 1999, the congregation has taken in 1,041 new members in five months and grown to 15,000 members.
Southeast Christian was founded in July 1, 1962. The reported final construction cost, including the 105 acre site, is just under $88,000,000.00. The word "mega" doesn't do it justice.
Amazing Statistics
A few statistics would be in order. They comfortably seat 9,100 worshippers on three levels. The two story atrium with a gently peaked roof is larger than a football field. The overall length of the worship center and adjoining atrium/education wing and fellowship center is 927 feet. This does not include the new stand alone 10 million dollar youth and athletic center, included in the total construction cost above. By itself, the Youth Center is larger than any LCMS church structure in Michigan.
The two story classroom building is about as long and twice the width of a football field. The dining room in the fellowship center seats just under 1,000 people. They have 4,700 parking spaces, with room to construct 2,000 more. For access, they built a network of four lane highways in and around the property. The drop-off area under the overhang in front of the atrium appears to be 8 lanes wide. It is larger than the terminal at Detroit Metro Airport.
A Look Inside Southeast Christian
We entered the carpeted atrium which is larger than most airport terminals, on Thursday evening, and walked up to the information oval. There was an armed guard in navy blue and a group of receptionists in bright maroon designer golf shirts. There were suspended television screens scrolling through the schedule for the week also reminiscent of airport terminals. A mature gentleman offered to take us on a tour.
From the outside, the worship center is a round five story glass covered building resembling an athletic arena. As we approached the worship center through the atrium, there were two banks of glass and chrome escalators ascending five stories above us. The church, including its two levels of seating above the main floor, is built on a steel girder frame. Pictures of the frame during construction show that it is built like a sports arena with cantilevered decks to allow a full view without any obstruction. The finished product, however, looks more like an opera house.
On the inside, the distance from the sunken floor in front of the stage/chancel to the Chinese umbrella shaped roof, is about seven stories. The entire church is carpeted in mauve to match the large plush upholstered theater seats with wood veneer backs. I must say, the seats were very comfortable, offered a generous space for leg room, (32 inch pant leg here) and the seats were larger than those found in most movie theaters. There is a five screen pentagon shaped gondola built down from the ceiling and another large screen behind the stage/chancel. The state of the art sound system is equivalent to those found in major theater or opera houses.
Each of the five levels has a large circular hallway surrounding the sanctuary, with easily accessible luxurious restrooms along the outside walls. There are 405 toilets in all. There are also sitting rooms and rooms for small gatherings along the outside hall walls. Those standing in the halls can view and hear the service through glare free sloped glass walls without disturbing the spectator/worshippers.
Inside, the sanctuary/worship center the stage/chancel and orchestra pit can be expanded or reshaped depending on the activity, service, entertainment, play, or drama taking place. Having grown up in New York City, I can only say that the inside of the church is about twice as large as Radio City Music Hall. It is overwhelming.
The separate youth center is a round two story high building. On one side it seats about 1,000. In itself, it is larger than most churches. On the other side of this building there are two basketball courts, plus racquetball, tennis, and badminton courts. There is an indoor track, weight room, and more.
What They Believe
I asked our guide about denominational affiliation. He said Southeast Christian is nondenominational. He said he used to attend the Baptist church before joining Southeast Christian. I asked what the difference was between Baptist and Southeast Christian. He responded that he couldn't think of any differences.
Those who point out that the Southern Baptist Convention experienced a 1% decline in 1998 had better take a second look at the numbers. Most of the mega-church boom in America is little more than nondenominational Baptist in theology. By taking this fact into account, we must conclude that the Baptists are experiencing tremendous growth in America under the nondenominational banner.
Nondenominational is an easy adjustment for Baptists because they are not encumbered by sacraments, catechisms, liturgies, confessions, or creeds. In their glossy, full color, 24 page, welcome brochure they print out edited versions of 1Cor. 15:1-18, 2Tim. 3:16, Rom.3:23, John 3:16, Rom. 10:9, Acts 2:38, Eph. 4:1-16, and I Thessalonians 4:13-18, on the page titled "We Believe" and that’s all there is.
For example "... Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God who died for our sins and arose from the dead. 1Cor.15:1-8." Any Mormon could accept this statement because it doesn't say Jesus is God. It also doesn't say there are no other gods and no other ways to heaven except through the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. They may believe correctly on these points but, then, why put up too many "road blocks." Naturally, they do not quote any verses which proclaim forgiveness and salvation through baptism and the Lord’s Supper, such as 1Peter 3:21 or Matt. 26:28.
In another statement they say "...that the church is the body of Christ on earth, empowered by the Holy Spirit and exists to save the lost and edify the saved" (Ephesians 4:1-6). Here they transfer the power of the Word of God in the Gospel as stated in Romans 1:16-17, and place that saving power with the church, namely Southeast Christian.
The Mission Statement reads as follows - Southeast Christian exists to: evangelize the lost, edify the saved, minister to those in need, and be a conscience of the community. Here there is ample room for the interpretation of your choice.
I asked the guide about the Masonic watch on his wrist. He said he was a Mason but he hadn't gone through the chairs. He said he and his wife had formerly directed about 45 girls each week in Rainbow Girls, a Masonic organization under the Eastern Star. Today he said you can only get 12 or less. People are more involved in churches like Southeast Christian. Yes, Southeast Christian is more than a church. It is a way of life, a community, country club, organization, entertainment center, social agency, and more all in one.
How They Communicate
Each week they put out a full size black and white newspaper, not tabloid size but the page size of the New York Times. The back issue I picked up was dated June 17, 1999. That issue of the "Outlook" is 34 pages, professionally published, comes in two sections and contains ample photographs with articles on 18 subjects, including family, activities, politics, and news events.
Two thirds of the paper is ads, with red, green, and blue spot colors advertising cars, insurance, real estate, restaurants, sports, hardware, bank loans, etc. One ad was a full page with red and blue spot colors advertising tires. They even have three pages of employment and classified ads. You can have weekly home delivery of their paper anywhere in America for one year if you dial 502-499-0185 and give a suggested donation of $25.00 or more. They have a circulation of 18,274. Surprisingly, they don't have a website. They prefer hard copy. Naturally, they use radio and TV.
Their Own World
This whole life style, entertainment, social, business, cultural, educational, and political enterprise is all tax free and tax deductible. How long can the country clubs, sports facilities, media, newspapers, movie industry, and concert halls compete with this unless the IRS takes notice? Southeast Christian is more than a church, it is its own world. They list 38 new members for the week in their June 17th issue of the "Outlook."
Can The Missouri Synod Compete?
Let’s compare the marketing profile of the LCMS versus Southeast Christian.
LCMS Profile: Offers doctrine, only one correct interpretation of the Bible, confessions, theology, creeds, catechism, hymn books, agendas, tradition, liturgy, heritage, form, voters, authenticity, Lutheranism, the Reformation, history, denominational identity, sacraments, confession and absolution, forgiveness of sins, Law and Gospel, Walther’s "Church and Ministry," and the second largest parochial school system in America.
Southeast Christian Profile: Offers personal interpretation of the Bible, personal experience, personal control of one’s doctrine, entertainment, luxury, life style, programs, activities, social involvement, empowerment, contemporary style, popular music, change, flexibility, cultural relevance, freedom of religious expression, contemporary worship, community involvement, business management, political activism, cooperation with business, no sacraments, freedom from hymn books, catechisms, liturgy, agendas, confession, or denominational identity, and joyous, triumphant, celebratory worship.
The LCMS Counsel of District Presidents, the Lutheran Church Extension Fund, and many Synodical officials are trying to compete with Southeast Christian by adopting and promoting the Church Growth Movement. They are actively promoting PLI (Pastoral Leadership Institute, under the direction of Dr. Norbert Oesch) to help create, staff, and finance mega-churches like Southeast Christian. This is very expensive. The cost of Southeast Christian is nearly three times the annual budget of the LCMS.
The LCMS numbers 2.6 million souls spread out across America. This is only one percent of the US population. Southeast has no denominational ties and draws from the entire population base. A number of LCMS congregations, on a smaller scale, are attempting to build worship centers and adopt contemporary worship similar to Southeast Christian, or have already done so.
Contemporary LCMS congregations call themselves purpose or mission driven churches. The problem is that part of their mission or purpose is to keep making changes that will increase the size of the congregation. Once they get on the Southeast Christian-Willow Creek-nondenominational mega-church treadmill, they are committed to keep changing in order to grow. The result is that the COP, the Church Extension Fund, and PLI are promoting the fragmentation of the LCMS.
LCMS Trading Strengths For Weaknesses In order to keep their momentum, LCMS mega-churches will eventually need to spin off from the Synod or completely hide every vestige of Lutheran identity, particularly the sacraments and the doctrine of justification. Rather than competing where the LCMS is strongest, the COP is competing where the Synod is weakest.
The COP has decided that Lutheran identity, hymn books, Walther, liturgies, doctrine, sacraments and the like, as stated above, are liabilities that do not offer significant market niche alternatives to the nondenominational mega-churches. When a VW Beetle wants to be a Chrysler Grand Cherokee it ends up with no market share. Why can't they learn from VW which returned to the beetle shaped car it can't keep in the showroom. Greed and envy have blinded them to reality. The eggs are in the wrong basket.
On a per-member basis, no church in America does a better job with Lutheran parochial education than the LCMS. No church in America has a more precise and Biblically accurate and thorough presentation of the Christian faith than the LCMS. No church in America is better positioned to promote these strengths from coast to coast than the LCMS. No church in America gives such full recognition to the royal priesthood of believers presented in the doctrine of Church and Ministry by C.F.W Walther than the LCMS. These are the market niches where the LCMS excels beyond anything Southeast Christian could dream of offering.
But, no, these assets from our fathers now hold little value for the future. We want to be Southeast Christian, which must inevitably set the LCMS on a path of self destruction. Pride goeth before the fall.. Israel became like its neighbors, and was also destroyed by them.
Rev. Jack Cascione is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church (LCMS - MI) in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. He has written numerous articles for Christian News and is the author of Reclaiming the Gospel in the LCMS: How to Keep Your Congregation Lutheran. He has also written a study on the Book of Revelation called In Search of the Biblical Order.
He can be reached by email at pastorcascione@juno.com.
July 7, 1999
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