Mega-progress at a megachurch

"God's going to knock us out of our comfort zones," he cautions the gathered faithful. "God is at work in the world ... and is building a spiritual city, a spiritual Jerusalem.... Every stage is going to be uncomfortable ... until we are in the divine order."

PREACHING THE WORD: Bishop Jay Ramirez addresses his congregation. JOHN NORDELL - STAFF

Related story 02/06/06 Megachurches' way of worship is on the rise

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This nondenominational megachurch, which has passed through challenging stages itself, is now flourishing, along with hundreds of other megachurches that are reshaping the religious landscape in the United States. A national survey released last week found twice as many as there were five years ago. The late management guru Peter Drucker called the megachurch "the only organization ... actually working in our society," and said it had much to teach other institutions.

What makes them work? Why are Americans shifting in droves to the largest church communities?

Conventional wisdom says their popularity lies in people's penchant for anonymity and that the churches bow to a consumer mentality, redesigning worship, buildings, and theology for a more comfortable experience. Some charge they're businesses in disguise, building empires through marketing and televangelism.

Clearly, there are varieties of megachurches. Yet visits to this one in Milford, Conn., suggest deeper explanations for their appeal. One of the oldest towns in America, Milford boasts Cape Cod houses on shady streets, a beachfront on Long Island Sound, and miles of strip malls along US Route 1. It's becoming a bedroom community for New York City.

Started with the aims of reaching the unchurched and creating a faith community that "demonstrates the kingdom of God on earth," Kingdom Life Christian Church (KLCC) has had a visible impact on members, on Milford, and beyond.

Bible-focused, with dynamic leadership, highly structured youth programs, and adult home fellowship, the church is drawing people from communities all along I-95.

At a Wednesday night Bible study in the hotel ballroom-style sanctuary, a friendly, buoyant group of about 600 is surprisingly diverse: white, Latino, and black; children and parents, all with Bibles in hand. (Teenagers have their class in another building.)

In the spacious auditorium furnished with upholstered mauve chairs and huge projection screens, exuberant singing is followed by a half-hour Q&A with Ramirez. One question has to do with the theology of "The Da Vinci Code" and the "Left Behind" novels. The bishop has read the books, and says there's some truth and "lots of junk" in them.

"I like the Bible - it's filled with history, drama, intrigue, grace, and mercy - and at the end, we win," he says with a broad grin. "I'm not going to get my theology out of novels."

The broad-shouldered 40-something pastor is big on common sense, humor, and thinking things through. Smooth but not slick, with a warm voice and an entertaining manner, he's clearly in control but also attuned to his congregation.

"My brother, who had never attended any church, came and was moved by the bishop's message," says Janet Zove, who handles marketing for a Fortune 500 company. "For my brother to be moved takes a lot, so I came along. I have a Catholic background and this is life-changing - it's about having a direct relationship with God." Despite a demanding job, she volunteers on weekends at the church's Family Resource Center, which has just launched adoption and foster-care services in the community.

Patricia McKay was already a churchgoer, but says she "wasn't being fed properly in the word of God." She visited for a year before joining. "Some churches try to dictate to you, but the bishop challenges you to go back into the Bible and make sure he's telling you the truth. He's a man of God who lives by the Word."

Ms. McKay particularly values the church's multicultural character: "The other churches I've been in were all black, but I wanted to have friends with people of all different races."

That was certainly part of Jay Ramirez's vision. Alienated from religion himself at one point, the Massachusetts native says he found faith again while working as chief of emergency medical services in east Texas. He got a theology degree, then was youth minister in a virtually all-white church.

Praying about his future, he says in a lengthy interview, he envisioned a diverse church in the Northeast, despite the region's reputation as cool toward religion.

Women's roles in church embraced

Now he reminds his congregation that "God doesn't see age, race, gender. He sees hearts, motives, obedience - people who keep the Word and love each other." He's also blunt about women's role in church: "Whoever said women have no place in ministry is pompous, and did not grasp the gospel. God did not segregate women from the gifts," Ramirez says. KLCC's pastoral staff is as diverse as its congregation.

Critics say some megachurch pastors bring in crowds by making people feel good and avoiding Christian demands. Ramirez's preaching style, however, while strong on love, is "a little in your face," says Jim Hashem, a former businessman who sold his high-tech firm and volunteers as chief of staff. "The bishop is going to provoke you to change your life. He will always call for self-inspection and continual progress. A lot of people, including me, like that."

Ramirez chose Matthew 6:33 as his church's "anchor" scripture: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." What's important, he says, is a tangible relationship with God and Christ that pervades one's life - and touches society.

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