“Sometimes called a "satellite" or "franchise" model, going multisite is seen by advocates as one of the leading innovations of the 21st century and by critics as a sign that the church has sold out to consumerism…” – Bob Smietana
Definition:
What is a Multi-site Church?
A
multi-site or multi-campus church is one “church” in multiple locations. These
locations are often called “campuses” or sometimes “satellites.”[i]
Leadership Network defines it as “one church meeting in two or more locations
under one overall leadership and budget.” The book Multi-site Church Revolution, says this, “A multi-site church is
one church meeting in multiple locations—different rooms on the same campus,
different locations in the same region, or in some instances, different cities,
states, or nations. A multi-site church shares a common vision, budget,
leadership, and board.” (Multi-site
Church Revolution, Zondervan, 2006, p. 18)
The
approach may range from transmitting a sermon by a single (or senior/lead)
pastor to multiple locations, to distinct worship services at multiple times
and sites than remain under one administrative leadership and budget. One of
the newer features of multi-site churches is the Internet
Campus. It enhances live streaming video with interactive elements
via the Internet – including chatting and submitting prayer requests.
Multi-site churches share the common model of “one church meeting in two or
more locations under one overall leadership and budget,” while ranging widely
on how they accomplish their specific goals. For examples,
- · A satellite church campus may use video technology to connect satellites to the church’s main location, including worship and sermon.
- · A satellite church campus may assign “campus pastors” who serve at the various locations, while administering from a central location.
The
pastor in one place and the so-called congregation is in many other places destroys
the gathered congregational relationship and defies Baptist views of the
church, but seems also to reveal a certain degree of ministerial arrogance. I
believe the Bible teaches both church governance and how we should “do” church.
If you don’t agree with that you probably won’t follow my conclusions.
Defense
of the Multi-site “Church”
For
the most part it is fair to say that multi-site advocates approach their
methodology from expedience rather than biblical fidelity. For example, in
Why
Your Church Should be Thinking Multisite, Thom S. Rainer of LifeWay
Christian Resources gives “6 reasons churches need to consider multisite,” all
of which are expedient rather than biblical reasons.[ii]
- · Millennials moving away from large worship gatherings
- · Governmental restrictions on building and land
- · Difficulty in finding large plots of land
- · Acquisition of churches
- · Can take advantage of existing facilities (can be cheaper)
- · Reach people main campus would never reach
Nevertheless,
there are some who attempt a biblical justification of their methodology. In
Why
The Summit Church Is Multi-site, J. D. Greear asserts that the method
can be biblically sound, practically wise, and pastorally helpful. The latter
two arguments are simply a multiplication of the expediency argument, but in
the first he attempts reconciling the multi-site church with the biblical data.
In doing so he mostly resorts to negative argument – the church is not defined
by assembly and there are no specific details on how to organize a church. The third
curiously argues that “The Apostles used the technology available to them to
preach in absentia.” Curious, I say, since the apostles had “the care of all
churches” and, I suppose, Greear doesn’t believe there are any such offices
today. At least one of the apostles (of whom Greear asserts “used the
technology available to [him] to preach in absentia”) was not satisfied with in absentia ministry and ordained elders
in every church (Acts
14:23; Titus
1:5). Greear writes, “It is clear in Acts 2 to 8 that all eight
thousand (some historians estimate that the actual size at the end of Acts 3
would have been about ten thousand) were not gathering weekly in one place to
hear one teaching pastor give a message.”
A
number of multi-site advocates cite the Jerusalem church, as Greear above, as
well as house churches found in the Scriptures. They may contend that “house
churches came together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper as one citywide church.”
It is inconsistent that those advocates would use this argument for support.
They do not apply it to their own terminology and practice. They do not view
the various bodies as churches, but rather as “campuses” or “satellites” of one
church. This is in contrast to their stated view of the church, as well as the
biblical recognition of these bodies (i.e., house churches) as churches (Cf. Romans
16:5; Colossians
4:15). Jonathan Leeman’s statement is telling: “Before technology
enabled the multi-site church phenomenon, no one ever, so far as I know, read
these verses this way.”
Considerations
Baptists
believe that a church is a local assembly or congregation of baptized
believers, united in covenant relationship in the fellowship of the gospel,
bearing Christ’s authority to exercise the keys of binding and loosing, and
observing the ordinances. Further most Baptists have held and still hold that
each church is an independent, self-governing body, over which no other
ecclesiastical body may exercise authority. Assuming many of my interested readers
are Baptists who hold a view similar to this (though they might word it a
little differently), I will not spend time here fleshing it out. Suffice it to
say that under the multi-site model the definition is stretched to its limit. A
“campus” or “satellite” assembles together and looks like a church, but does
not have its own separate existence or authority under Christ. Multi-site
churches divide the body and distribute its parts in various locations.
Some
have noticed that multi-site congregations or campuses in essence are a network
of churches under an episcopal type of church government. That may suit those who
approve of episcopal church governance, but what a debacle when Baptists adopt it!
Following
this consideration, we reflect that there is no clear example of a multi-site
church in the New Testament. Paul established churches and asked that they
follow his example. Multi-site advocates ditch the examples of the apostles and
create their own. Churches in the New Testament not only covenanted together,
but assembled together and covenanted to not forsake that assembling (Hebrews
10:25). Assembly is an essential part of the church relationship.
Biblical
arguments such as those made by J. D. Greear often depend on the assumption
that large churches – such as the one at Jerusalem – could not gather in one
place. He claims “Historians tell us there was no space in Jerusalem available
to the disciples in which three thousand or more people could have met on a
weekly basis.” In contrast to the historians, we find that the church at
Jerusalem (even though they met from house to house) did also meet in one place.
Acts
2:44-47 indicates they met in one place (and the people were
essentially in one place when they heard the gospel message on Pentecost). Acts
4:4 implies they were all together, while Acts
5:12 plainly proclaims “they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.”[iii] Acts
6:2 also indicates assembly, stating “the twelve called the multitude
of the disciples unto them.” The Acts 15 council meeting indicates a gathering
of the whole church at Jerusalem (Acts
15:4, 22).The Antioch church gathered in one place (Acts
14:27), and Paul spoke of the church at Corinth gathered together in
one place (1
Corinthians 5:4; 1
Corinthians 11:18, 20). Suggestions of the inability of the church to
gather because of size do not meet the biblical criteria of proof.
The
biblical concept and meaning of a gathered church and the practice of the early
churches of the New Testament favor the “local church model” and discountenance
the “multi-site church”.
Further
reading
- 8 Statistics Every Multisite Church Leader Should Know
- A Pastor Defends His Multi-Site Church
- Assembly is Essential Too: A Response to J. D. Greear
- High-Tech Circuit Riders
- Multisite Churches are Here, and Here, and Here to Stay
- Nine Reasons I Don’t Like Multi-site Churches
- Now More Than 8,000 Multisite Churches
- Theological Critique of Multi-Site: What Exactly Is a “Church”?
- Twenty-Two Problems with Multi-site Churches
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