While there are benefits to attending a megachurch like the one led by Andy Stanley, one Christian who hails from a small church begs to differ.
Stanley recently claimed that depriving one's kids of the experience of a megachurch was selfish and that parents should see the benefits of going to a big church in a young believers's development, Patheos reported.
"If you don't go to a church large enough, where you can have enough middle-schoolers and high-schoolers so they can have small groups and grow up the local church, you are a selfish adult. Get over it. Find yourself a big ol' church where your kids can connect with a bunch of people, and grow up and love the local church," he said in one of his sermons.
Jonathan Aigner, the Director of Music for a United Methodist congregation, and a blogger at Theology in Worship, wrote an open letter to Stanley suggesting that megachurches have their own share of pitfalls for the young.
Aigner, who grew up and learned about faith from a megachurch, said that he actually found his love for the Church again because of a small church and a small group of people with a common faith.
In his letter, Aigner argued that one of the dangers of megachurches is that children may only see the church for its production value instead of learning about the liturgy and the core of the faith.
"Take them to a church where they learn the value of stillness and silence, and where there's also grace for them when they fail at it. Take them to a church where they learn to participate, instead of vegging out on jesusy entertainment," he said.
Aigner also said that small churches actually give children time to worship with their families and participate in worship instead of having the message drowned out by bright lights and loud music.
The music director raised concerns about the worship leaders megachurches who are sometimes more like rock stars while those in small churches allow the opportunity for real and personal interactions.
"Don't take your kids to a megachurch, where the pastor's word is the final authority and is never to be questioned. Take them to a place where one white male doesn't have all the answers. Take them to a place where they can safely grapple with the tough questions that arise from the complexities they see going on around them. Take them to a place where men and women serve and lead together equally. Where everyone is empowered to use their God-given gifts," he said.
Aigner argued that small churches where there is no segreration in age groups give children the opportunity to be guided by mature believers who teach them to engage in a world around them "so that they can actually be the kingdom people they're called to be."
