This weekend Saddleback Church will have the Jonas Brothers in one of two huge services that will be held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. That service sold out (the tickets were free but required) very quickly and I'm sure there will be a fair number of teens with their parents who otherwise would not have attended.
In Corpus Christi, TX another megachurch is trying a prize giveaway to attract the lost to their Easter services:
I'm kind of agnostic on this whole deal. I have nothing against using creative marketing means to attract people to church...or any other business. There's probably a line you shouldn't cross...somewhere...but I'm not sure where that would be. If the church's ministry is solid and Bible-based, any creativity that works is good.
How would you like to register for $4 million in prizes? One church is making you that offer in exchange for attending Easter Service. It's a big price tag and all the prizes collected came from the Coastal Bend.
Pastor Bil Cornelius spreads his ministry's message each weekend from Bay Area Fellowship on Weber. His message from God extends far beyond the building; his service runs nationally.
With Easter Week upon us, his message is getting an even bigger boost with a big giveaway.
"We've got two BMW's, we have an Audi, an Avalanche, we have a Mitsubishi Eclipse, a Jaguar," said Trish Fraizer, a spokesperson for the church.
From dresser drawers to cars, bedroom sets and even bikes; the total giveaway is valued at $4 million, the goal initially was to give away one million dollars in prizes.
"Our hope is someone that's never been here, that may come for the wrong reasons, comes here and we're able to plant a seed," explains Fraizer. That seed, they hope, will increase membership.
"You get the free gift of Heaven if you just accept Christ," said Pastor and Founder Cornelius.
The church spreads its message to about 7,000 members and every weekend, those members' donations bring in about $100,000 to the megachurch. It's money that goes back out into the community.
"It goes into facility operation, it goes into personnel cost, outreach, church planting, we start other churches we start other locations and community outreach programs as well," said Pastor Paul Schulz.
He tells us the goal is to double members in the next ten years.
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2 comments:
It's one thing to minister to people who come to church for the wrong reasons, that's, as the expression goes, "on them".
It's quite another to actually encourage people to come to church for wrong, materialistic reasons. A bad idea.
Man leaving after the service greets the minister at the door.
Minister: Good to see you. You should come more frequently.
Man: Well, I would. But every time I do come you talk about the same thing, never varies.
And don't get me started on the arguments--I think I know them all.
It is important to make contact, maybe we can convert.
Those are the services that pay the bills for the year.
Hypocrites.
What better place for hypocrites than church.
And zillions more.
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