The growth of Mega Churches

Read this Newsweek article on the growth of Mega Churches.

I love the use of quotes around certain words, such as This year, the 16.4 million-member Southern Baptist Convention plans to "plant" 1,800 new churches using by-the-book niche-marketing tactics. Maybe it's just me, but I can just see the reporter rolling his eyes as he wrote this piece. That said, the article shows how successful churches use today's marketing tactics to appeal to unchurched people. I have no problem with that. I've been charged with publicity and marketing at my own church. People want a quality product and quality presentation. If that works to sell sodas, why shouldn't we use it to sell a new life in Christ? People have abandoned "organized religion" by the masses (no pun intended), as meaningless rituals just simply leave people feeling empty. The growing churches are the ones who aren't afraid to use today's tactics to appeal to today's consumers. As long as the message doesn't shift (we NEED to stick to what's true), the mode of delivery and the marketing used to promote it just needs to be whatever works.