“This Isn’t a Church. It’s a Business” — Megachurch Draws Criticism Over Extravagant Christmas Show

A megachurch is getting dragged for its extravagant holiday performance, which required some seriously talented individuals to come out and perform. And they probably weren’t cheap either. We’re talking drummers floating through the auditorium while banging on their instruments, a singer in a fully lit-up dress soaring through the air on a platform, and literal animals, zebras and camels, walking across the stage in what looked like a Noah’s Ark-inspired performance.

It was definitely a sight to see, thanks to TikTok user @Xila, who shared not one but two videos of the megachurch’s Christmas program. In the comments, one person described it as “Cirque du Soleil status,” while others made a pretty fair point about the time, money, and effort that must have gone into bringing this entire spectacle to life. Here’s why people are taking issue with the Christmas program, and the details on which megachurch it actually is.

In two TikToks shared by @Xila with the text overlay “POV: You went to a Mega Church for the first time,” she shows brief clips of the wild performances at a megachurch. It was such a big deal that one of her videos got over 30,000 saves and more than 16,000 comments. And here’s why.

In the first video, Xila points her camera at a stage that looks fit for a Broadway production. Camels walk across the stage, and girls are dressed in extravagant, feathered dresses.

Behind them is an entire chorus on three rows of bleachers. The video cuts to other scenes, including Santa in a sleigh floating through the air and singers in over-the-top costumes, some also performing midair. Between the graphics, costumes, animals, performers, and everything in between, it’s safe to say these performances weren’t cheap.

In her second video, there are even more clips of the show, with tons of people dressed in either theater-style or Christmas-themed costumes. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the church charged for these tickets, because it was quite literally a performance you’d see at an arena.

Now, while the church leaders may have patted themselves on the back for putting together such a festive, action-filled program, many viewers in the comments couldn’t get past the potential cost. One person wrote, “It’s ALMOST like… they’re capable of paying taxes,” while another chimed in, “So once a church reaches Cirque du Soleil status, they should probably be taxed, y’know?” And they make fair points.

Churches are generally exempt under IRS tax law and sometimes don’t even have to pay sales tax. They can sometimes even be exempt from property tax, which means a lot of the money they take in, they keep. If they have enough to put on something like this, it’s no wonder hundreds of thousands of people are wondering why they don’t pay taxes.

And if you’re wondering where this lovely church is located, Xila included it in her hashtags — Prestonwood Baptist Church. That, my friends, is a Baptist multi-site megachurch based in Plano, Texas.

Now, it’s not the performances that are the issue, those were impressive, but the fact that it’s happening at a church raises questions about just how much money this place is bringing in and whether it’s giving back to the community and those who need it most.