The appeal of the so-called "mega-church" gets only more topical as time goes by. Next Generation Radio producer Akilah Amapindi made this piece almost two years ago, on the eve of Reverend T.D. Jakes' 2005 Christian Megafest. The fests, which began in 2004, feature events for the entire family.The 2007 fest has been bumped back to 2008. But that doesn't make Amapindi's work any less interesting.

The segment begins as Amapindi interviews Alton Pollard of Emory University's Black Church Studies Program. They cover what the megachurch will mean for traditional black churches. It's a great conversation that shows how our mobile society makes the megachurch attractive.

Pollard's point about the way the megachurch makes it easier for folks to sit back and be less active is interesting. So is his later point about how technology makes folks feel connected despite scale.

What isn't explored is how user-generated content and social networking might play out. Will they bring megachurchers together or make it far easier for them to hide? how about a follow up?

The segment ends in vox of megachurch-goers on how they overcome the issues of scale. The voices are interesting and provide balance, but feel a little cobbled together.

The piece also lacks for an ender as the voices trail off into a backannounce. The ender might be as simple as a few questions that still need answering, or some detail about the Megafests.

Overall, a solid three-and-a-half minute conversation from a producer I hope I hope is still out there doing good work. I'd recommend Pollard too as a voice for local talk shows on this subject or related ones.

Anthea Raymond
PRX Editorial Board
June 4, 2007
Los Angeles