While society fights to maintain a division between church and state, the division be­tween the church and the corporation is becoming blurred. Christian capitalism, as it has come to be known, and the pastor­preneurs that manage it for the church, has engaged in a wide range of outside inter­ests, including music studios, publishing houses, record labels, satellite networks, TV and radio ministries, Webcasts, videos-on-demand, and more. Where is all the money going? In the best cases, right back into the community. In the worst, back into the pockets of the pastors who lead them. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) believes that at least six of these leaders (two in Metro Atlanta) may have crossed the line, and he has requested financial documents in order to find out. 

A Megachurch is defined as a non-Catholic Christian church with at least 2,000 mem­bers. There are 1,337 such churches in the U.S. – 76 in Georgia alone, according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Beyond the engaging and contemporary Sunday services, many of these mega­churches also have other religious services throughout the week – prayer services, bible studies, singing services, healing or praise services, youth-oriented services, and be­ginner courses in basic Christianity.

Senator’s Grassley’s request is seen by some as just one more example of the increasing popularity of criticizing megachurches, as often their rapid growth creates a degree of tension in the surrounding community. In addition, some argue that megachurches are less than adept at providing individual support and the intimate community relations typical of the church atmosphere.

Many have opined that the controversy that has swelled from this request deals with a fundamental difference of opinion among Christians – that Christians are supposed to be poor; giving all their monies to those less fortunate and keeping only that which is truly needed – or that God favors His people when He allows them to manage money on His behalf.

To others, the bottom line issue is that just because a church takes in $69 million in one year does not mean anything is wrong. As long as a pastor is not dipping into the till, is accepting a reasonable salary, and is only accepting expenses that further the church’s purpose, nothing is amiss. A final argument begins when one calls the request “government intrusion into religion.”

No matter where you stand on the issue of Sen. Grassley’s request, the key issue will be a new one for churches. If the popularity of a pastorpreneur allows the church to sell $50 million in books, videos, and tapes; how much is “reasonable” for a pastor’s salary? If the church was bringing in $1 million before the pastor arrived and now is a $69 million enterprise, how much is “reasonable” for a pastor’s benefits? If a pastor provides basic needs of parishioners and is also able to provide millions to missions and local community needs, is it OK for the pastor and the church to have a nice building, a nice house for the pastor, and nice cars for the staff? 

Yet the real ques­tion for these churches, and the surrounding communities remains – is a new megachurch going to simply take up space or will the community be a better place for the arrival? How do the radio and TV ministries, books and record labels, and even credit cards – help the community?

The businesses supported by these church­es can not only provide mission funds and church development monies, but can also be used to better the very communities they serve. What if churches created a non-profit arm to do community development? One church we learned about did this as a way to utilize the additional 32 acres it owned. Much of the surrounding commu­nity was composed of working families who rented, so church leaders were able to use that space for a planned community of new townhomes designed for first time home­buyers. Homeowner education became a new outreach strategy, and many of the townhomes went to church members, cre­ating a community centered on the church.

Such planned communities tie nicely into a new movement called new urbanism. New urbanism, as defined at newurbanism.org, “promotes the creation and restoration of diverse, walkable, compact, vibrant, mixed-use communities composed of the same components as conventional develop­ment, but assembled in a more integrated fashion, in the form of complete communi­ties. These contain housing, work places, shops, entertainment, schools, parks, and civic facilities essential to the daily lives of the residents, all within easy walking dis­tance of each other.”

Randy Frazee, a teaching pastor at Illinois Megachurch, Willow Creek Community Church, sees a potential link between the downside of many megachurches and the upside of new urbanism. Randy says that megachurches are often much like castles surrounded by moats – lowering the draw­bridge to let others in, but requiring a sepa­ration of culture between the church and neighborhood. Randy, who is a national advocate for New Urbanism, believes the movement could merge these cultures and help the church to remain relevant to the community.

Some megachurch ministers are increas­ingly using the power of the church to pur­sue business interests outside the church. Many pastorpreneurs are using the power of the church for commu­nity development, while still keeping separate the business of the church from any of the outside church businesses, including T.D.Jakes, Pastor An­thony G. Maclin, and Bishop Eddie L. Long. Bishop Long, of Lithonia, GA based New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, has developed their community to include a gym, a bookstore, a school, and other businesses. Bishop Long is also one of the pastorpreneurs targeted by Senator Grassley’s request.

Pastor Anthony G. Maclin, of Sanctuary at Kingdom Square in Maryland, and his church purchased an old mall located in a high-crime area and has plans to trans­form these empty storefronts into Kingdom Square, to include a sanctuary, school, day care center, bookstore, hair salon, and spa. The purchase of the mall has lead other busi­nesses to buy into the community, creating the type of economic impact that such com­munity development projects rely on. Ma­clin argues that only the church has the resources to “erase the blight in the community by cre­ating our own jobs and recycling money in the…community.”   

T.D. Jakes, possibly the most powerful and well-known of these pastorpreneurs, over­sees more than just his 30,000 member congregation. Jakes is also running T.D. Jakes Enterprises, with books, movies, a private Christian school, and even a $150 million residential development.

Houston-based Windsor Village, is yet an­other example of using the power of the church to create community development success stories. Kirbyjon Caldwell, pastor of the Methodist congregation, calls this “taking the sanctuary to the streets.” His “street sanctuary” is home to a collection of businesses that turned the once-dilapi­dated shopping center into a $14.5 million local economy.

Eric Jacobsen, author of Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith, says such communities allow oppor­tunity for spontaneous ministry, reminding us that Jesus did much of His ministry in the context of everyday life. Jacobsen says many of those who need the most help are not go­ing to just call the church for an appointment, and that true ministry is “not just supporting the programs inside your church but also caring about the whole neighborhood.”

In the Urban eJournal, a publication of the McCormick Theological Seminary, Mark Wendorf writes “if we want urban ministries to succeed, we must quit looking at the city as a place of consummate evil, doom and gloom; a place to [be] bulldozed and cre­ated anew. Instead we must view the city as a place where God is present; where love, beauty and grace do abound; a place where the seeds of salvation are already planted and need only to be nourished.”

These examples show what can be done, and they remind us that churches wishing to truly invest in a community must do more than simply buy­ a piece of land and build a church. Megachurches located in challenged com­munities have the creative energy needed to tackle tough urban issues. The people of these communities often don’t need help as much as they need a chance, an opportunity – through resources already in their own community.   

Whether Senator Grassley finds evidence of improper accounting or not, some pastorpreneurs are showing what can be done for a community through the church. Megachurches have already changed the world of worship – if other megachurches follow the lead of pas­tors like T.D. Jakes, Bishop Long, and Pas­tor Maclin, they may change the world of community development as well.