Megachurches might be considered a relatively new but substantial religious phenomenon in terms of size and attendance. According to Hartford Seminary Institute for Religion Research, megachurches are “Protestant churches where more than 2000 people attend for the purpose of worship per week” (as cited in Cartledge et al., 2019, p. 43). Ellingson suggests that megachurches are “theologically conservative, largely Evangelical, use media technology, offer multiple worship services and other types of services, such as consumer goods” (as cited in Cartledge et al., 2019, p. 44). In the following essay, I will examine Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church as a typical example of a megachurch and identify its audience and the reasons behind its popularity and a large following.
After watching several recorded services of Lakewood Church, I may distinguish its pros and cons, or attractive and unattractive features. On the one hand, the church seems to promote a healthy and spiritual lifestyle by sharing positive statements and ideas with its spectators. Joel Osteen often reaches out to his audience with inspirational messages about confidence and self-esteem, which many people might find helpful. The church also supports modern technology and offers a convenient and flexible way to attend its services via the Internet. There are options of weekly live-streamed services and archived recordings on the church’s website, which allow people to remotely attend a service anytime and anywhere.
On the other hand, Lakewood Church has many features that I find unattractive. As the church seems to associate religion with the entertainment industry, its services resemble popular concerts or shows by famous artists rather than traditional prayers. The services are accompanied by contemporary music, professional stage lighting, and comfortable seating. Additionally, the speeches of its charismatic leader and pastors may sound overly energetic and dramatic to the point of being unnatural or staged. Moreover, there is no means of personal interaction between the church leader and its attendees in contrast to some smaller traditional churches. Thus, members of the audience might feel like passive listeners rather than active participants. Finally, the leader of the church often emphasizes the need for donations, which are supposed to be the form of voluntary contribution that should not be imposed. All in all, I do not like Lakewood Church because of the drawbacks mentioned above.
I assume that the church is trying to appeal to people who are depressed or have personal issues, including marriage, financial, or health concerns. For instance, the website of the church offers financial classes to “encourage, equip and empower Lakewood members as well as our local community to live out Biblical financial principles” (Lakewood Church, 2020, “Financial Classes”). There are also marriage classes providing “powerful sources that help strengthen the relationships of those who are dating, engaged, or married,” as well as specialized classes for children, young adults, seniors, men, and women (Lakewood Church, 2020, “Marriage Classes”). Thus, the church aims to appeal to a significant number of different people, promising support and assistance.
Therefore, the popularity of Lakewood Church might be explained mainly by the charismatic character of its leader and the psychological tricks that Joel Osteen uses to influence his audience and create an atmosphere of support and understanding. Another reason for its popularity and large attendance might be its ability to entertain through the use of music (i.e., live bands, singers, or orchestra), stage lighting, and comfortable venues with appropriate seating capacity (i.e., concert halls or arenas). Having discussed its pros and cons, I believe that megachurches such as Lakewood Church are trying to entertain and subsequently raise donations from their audience rather than serve people or care about them. Thus, I do not like the concept of a megachurch in general and Lakewood Church in particular.
References
Cartledge, M. J., Dunlop, S. L. B., Buckingham, H., & Bremner, S. (2019). Megachurches and social engagement: Public theology in practice. Brill.
Lakewood Church. (2020). Ways to grow. Web.
A Case Study Of Mission Command
Leadership is a significant concept in many spheres of life, and the military sector is not an exception. Leadership denotes actions that are taken to provide people with purpose, direction, and motivation to make them perform a specific task. Current security threats demonstrate that it is necessary to draw particular attention to this phenomenon within a framework of mission command (MC). In this case, it will be possible to address the existing challenges and contribute to a more secure world. Thus, US Army leaders are required to meet a set of requirements, including the ability to promote proactive change and flexibility in training and on the battlefield. As for MC, this concept synchronizes leaders’ efforts at all levels to achieve the desired result and overcome the enemies. MC consists of six principles that represent various spheres where individuals should demonstrate their leadership qualities. These principles include building teams with the help of trust, establishing shared understanding, demonstrating a clear commander’s intent, exercising disciplined initiatives, using orders, and accepting risk. Each of these principles provides leaders with practical guidelines on how to improve their skills. For example, building teams is possible with the help of authentic leadership that, in turn, emphasizes the significance of knowing oneself, listening, expressing, appreciating, and serving authentically. (1) Furthermore, creating shared understanding is necessary to ensure that leaders of all levels and their subordinate soldiers understand the purpose and intent and can operate within their borders. (2) The lesson to extract is that leadership is of significance when it comes to MC, and this concept consists of six essential principles. If leaders manage to follow each of these principles, they will improve their commanding skills. As a result, they will be able to achieve the desired goals and defeat the enemies.
References
Kevin Cashman, Leadership From the Inside Out: Becoming a Leader for Life (Provo, UT: Executive Excellence Publishing, 1998): 120-128.
GEN Martin E. Dempsey, “Mission Command,” White Paper, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C., 2012
Antismoking Ads And Youth Smoking Prevalence
In the modern world, a significant amount of attention is paid to social problems, including youth smoking. The article in question elaborates on the influence of antismoking advertisements on youth smoking rates. It is believed that promoting a healthy lifestyle that excludes such habits can have an impact on people and prevent adolescents from using tobacco. For instance, in 1998, the Florida Department of Health decided to create a media campaign under the name of “truth.” The main purpose of this initiative was to affect young people and oppose the smoking industry. The used methods included broadcasting advertisements on television, where the main characters were adolescents that despised smoking.
The researchers investigated the outcomes of this campaign, and whether it helped to decrease national smoking rates among American adolescents. To conduct this study, they used data from “the Monitoring the Future survey in a pre/post quasi-experimental design to relate trends in youth smoking prevalence” (Farrelly et al., p. 425). This information helped the researchers to analyze if the “truth” campaign managed to achieve its goal and to reduce the doses in which adolescents smoke. The research group consisted of 50000 children in grades 8, 10, and 12.
The outcomes of the study revealed that the idea was a success since it managed to contribute to a significant decline in youth smoking. Most adolescents agree that smoking negatively affects health, and this belief was imposed by the campaign. However, further research on this topic is needed regarding anti-tobacco advertising. For instance, it is possible to conduct a similar study that focuses on the impact of different advertising formats. It would be helpful to discover if a particular method of promotion works better than the other.
Reference
Farrelly, M. C., Davis, K. C., Haviland, M. L., Messeri, P., & Healton, C. G. (2005). Evidence of a dose—response relationship between “truth” antismoking Ads and youth smoking prevalence. American journal of public health, 95(3), 425-431.