Pastor Andy Stanley apologizes after calling members of small churches 'stinkin' selfish'

Megachurch pastor Andy Stanley has apologized after stirring controversy with his recent sermon in which he called members of small churches "stinkin' selfish."

Pastor Andy Stanley of megachurch North Point Community Church in Georgia drew flak after he delivered a sermon explaining why going to large churches is more beneficial for a child's Christian development. In the YouTube video, which has since been taken down due to a "copyright claim," the senior pastor appeared to criticize people who go to smaller churches, The Christian Post reports.

"When I hear adults say 'well I don't like a big church. I like about 200, I want to be able to know everybody, I say you are so stinking selfish," said Andy Stanley in his sermon last month.

Pastor Stanley said belonging to megachurches will help kids mingle with more people, the report adds.

The sermon, however, drew negative reactions on the Internet. Theology in Worship blogger Jonathan Aigner wrote an open letter to the megachurch pastor suggesting that belonging to larger churches also has its negative side. Aigner said children in megachurches may only see the activities as entertainment and not be able to delve deeper into the core of the faith, Christian Today reports.

Aigner also argued that small churches give children ample time to participate in worship with their family and the opportunity to have real interactions, the report relays.

The criticims prompted Stanley to issue an apology on social media on Thursday.

"The negative reaction to the clip from last weekend's message is entirely justified," said Stanley on Twitter. "Heck, even I was offended by what I said! I apologize."

A study released weeks before Pastor Andy Stanley's controversial sermon says smaller churches tend to have more active members compared with the bigger churches. Duke University researcher David Eagle, who authored the said study, found that there is a negative correlation between the size of the church and active membership when the population is bigger than 500.