megachurch
feature DOCUMENTARY
DIRECTED BY
STARRING
DR. HENRY CLOUD / JOSH MORRIS / NT WRIGHT / IAN MORGAN CRON / CHUCK DEGROAT
JOSH FRANER
SYNOPSIS / THE RISE OF THE AMERICAN MEGACHURCH. THIS DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES HOW A ONCE PURE AMBITION TO GROW THE GOSPEL HAS BEEN TAINTED BY MORAL FAILURE, CORRUPTION, AND GREED AND BIRTHED A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY.
AUDIENCE / FAITH-BASED, CROSSOVER
DOWNLOAD PITCH DECK
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for you shall be like god…
It all began in the garden as THE SERPENT TOLD EVE :
“FOR YOU SURLEY SHALL NOT DIE. ONCE YOU EAT OF THE FRUIT YOUR EYES WILL BE OPEN AND YOU SHALL BE LIKE GOD, KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL.”
Throughout history, this deep knowing has haunted and has been passed throughout generations- the desire to be like God or elevated to god-like status. Were we as humans ever supposed to be given platforms of fame and renown? Has anyone ever been able to navigate “success” successfully? Naturally, we need leadership but sometimes idolizing leadership can come at a cost: humans are flawed.
the rise of the ceo pastor
The church's focus shifted from spiritual depth to business-like efficiency, with pastors acting as CEOs who adopt branding, audience-building, and leadership strategies borrowed from corporate sectors like Wall Street and Silicon Valley. The model feels more like TED Talks - prioritizing success over faithfulness. Growth was adopted as a keystone marker above spiritual depth, resulting in burnout, moral failure, and shallow spirituality.
Jesus never operated as CEO or came to build an empire power structure.
The question becomes: where have we the people and we the church been responsible for building and adopting these platforms ourselves?
What are we supposed to do with moral failure?
Why do moral failures keep happening in the church? How do we allow space for honest questions and crisis of faith? How do we spot narcissism in leadership? Where do we allow for grace and where do we allow for the law to dictate consequences? There has to be a healthy way to grow and address failure.
can authentic growth happen through FRANCHISING?
McDonalds pioneered and modernized the modern franchise but it came at a cost. However, greed slipped in and quality overall faded away. McDonalds was once an institution that celebrated family but then ultimately became synonymous with the ultimate representation of American consumerism. Sadly, this is the story of a lot of companies focused on numbers and growth instead of quality.
The modern church has embodied this idea through branding and replication : multiple church campuses broadcasting through video screens. Is this a bad thing? Or, how did we get here?
WHY THIS STORY NOW?
There is a deep call for the church to re-examine and re-imagine a new identity that leans towards hope, art, and innovation vs. pointing fingers and casting stones at fallen figures and fallen models. In this documentary, we’ll explore poignant stories of people that are re-thinking the church’s role in helping, healing, and ultimately restoring culture vs. mirroring it.
ZIGGURATS and towers of babel
Ziggurats were constructed as temples for religious worship dedicated to the gods. Each city in ancient Mesopotamia had its own significant patron deity - the ziggurat was built to honor and serve that god or goddess.
They were places that connected heaven and earth, bridging spiritual realms. Their height symbolized spiritual significance, like mountain-top experiences and at the top there was often a temple or shrine where priests could perform ceremonies and communicate with the gods.
Ziggurats also symbolized power, wealth, an iconic and unifying city landmark emphasizing it’s importance and centrality.
POWER. ACHIEVEMENT. UNIFICATION.
The Tower of Babel as described in Genesis 11 was a ziggurat built with the intention of creating a unified and centralized symbol of human achievement and power. The people wanted to build a city and a tower that reached to the heavens.
The builders and constructors sought fame, significance, and unification under their collective effort.
“Let us make a name for ourselves” was their mantra. “Otherwise we will be scattered across the whole face of the earth!”
However, their intentions embodied a sense of pride and defiance against God as they worked to centralize and establish power independent of God, displaying arrogance and self-sufficiency.
The story serves as a cautionary tale of the dangers of disobedience, and attempts to challenge divine authority. The dangerous attempt of becoming “like God” as the serpent once told Eve in the garden…
the approach
multiple storylines
More on the approach here.
josh and robert morris
The unique point of view here.
ian morgan chron’s PILGRIMAGE to italy
More here.
the story of in-and-out burger and building quality over quantity
More here.
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An account of the six-week death spiral that brought down the company's IPO, a behind-the-scenes look at WeWork's frat-boy culture.
movie references
The Founder (2016) is a biographical drama that tells the story of Ray Kroc, a struggling milkshake salesman who transforms McDonalds from a family run restaurant into a global fast-food empire.
He stumbles upon a small but highly efficient burger stand started by Dic and Mac McDonald. As the franchising grows, tension arises. Ray views the brothers conservative approach and strict adherence to quality standards as impedances to growth.
