As promised earlier today, we
are going to answer a question from a reader.
Here is the question:
Gentlemen,
thank you for your research. I have 2 questions
1. The senior pastor, is he/she a college graduate in all cases? what is it
about the Sr Pastor that draws the crowd?
2. Is there any research you know of identifying the emerging church movement
within the megachurch's?
Thank You
Allan Robertson
Church
Planter/Youth Leader
Agape Fellowship Church
Williamsport, PA
Thanks Alan for the
questions. I think there are actually three there.
To question number one –
Education of the Senior Pastor/Directional Leader:
Scott pulled these figures
out for you to examine.
Here
is the data from 2005
Highest
level of education:
2%
High school diploma or GED
6% Some college or technical school
19% College Bachelor’s degree
37% Masters Degree (including M.Div)
35% Doctoral Degree (Ph.D., D.Min. – excluding honorary doctorate)
So
it is almost universal, but not quite, to have a college degree.
My
sense is that number is pretty equivalent to other entrepreneurs by the way. I
have met highly profitable business people that don’t have a college degree and
some that hold a Doctorate.
For
many traditions, education does not matter as much as “calling” and “anointing.”
The
second question concerns “the crowd.” We cover that in a whole chapter in our
book and draw a sharp distinction about that. While many attenders will mention
the pastor there are usually very strong other factors that keep a person I the
church.
And
finally to your third question, one of the streams we describe in the book is
very close to some of the emerging church conversations. In fact many of those
that were in the “emergent” conversation early on have now grown to mega church
status.
The
other answer is that while there is a clear definition of “megachurches” there
is still not a very solid definition of an “emergent” church. My friends in
that movement speak of the “conversation” which goes back and forth. I am
comfortable in participating in that conversation but I know others in the
megachurch movement that will shy away from that conversation.
In
a few cases we also have some “church within a church” activities that look
like some of the “emergent” churches but many of the “emergent” leaders tend to
discount those approaches.
Go ahead and hit the comment button to leave your own thoughts.
Thanks for being the brave one to ask the first question Alan.
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