Mary Camp says that “mega,” as in megachurch, is not inherently distasteful. Afterall, the Holy Spirit birthed the first “mega” congregation, drawing about 3,000 people to faith in Christ. However, Camp, working with Bible Study Fellowship International for more than two decades, has a definite viewpoint of the larger churches that she shares in Stench!: How Abominations Polute and Desolate the Post-Modern Church (WinePress Publishing, 2011). “However,” she says, “worship style is determined by what the majority can tolerate. By necessity, the larger the group the lower the minimum standard becomes. They never raise the bar to honor God but lower it to accommodate the desires of people.”

Churches were long considered good credit risks. Weekly collections tend to be steady, even during recessions, and churches feel a moral tug to pay debts. Most of the nation’s churches carry little or no mortgage debt, and are based in buildings that were paid off long ago. But some churches, especially those not affiliated with major denominations, borrowed briskly to build or expand in recent years. Spending on construction of houses of worship rose to $6.2 billion in 2007 from $3.8 billion in 1997, according to the U.S. Census. Now, churches are seeing congregants lose jobs and savings.

So you’re considering an online program for professional development or to earn a degree? That’s great! There are many excellent online opportunities available but there are also some cautions to consider before moving forward. Let’s answer a few common questions associated with online learning to assist in your journey. Online learning is an umbrella term referring to structured educational experiences that are delivered via the Internet to students who are geographically separated from the instructor. This latest iteration of distance education is unique because the online environment enables students and instructors to build rich learning communities which simply weren’t possible in the era of corresponding courses and satellite campuses.