Last week we talked about the new multi-site church movement that's happening all over the country, and specifically about Seacoast Church in the southeastern part of the USA.
The brand new book "The Multi-Site Church Revolution" by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon and Warren Bird talks in depth about this phenomenon, and I recommend it to anyone who's interested.
Most churches are familiar with the multiple services format (i.e. 9am & 11am.) Multi-site can be thought of as an extension of this idea.
There are two points I'd like to make that might help churches to prepare and participate in this new wave.
1. You don't have to be a mega-church to be multi-site. You can replicate yourself and reach the community in other, less costly and time-intensive ways. Imagine small home churches that are in cahoots with a larger church, sharing resources and maybe even the pastor's video sermon or podcast. Or how about an office Bible study that's supported by a larger ministry.
The Biblical idea of "church" does not mean a physical building with sanctuary, pulpit and organ, but the Body of Christ. I like how Hillsong London leadership addressed the congregation as "church" when I recently visited (as in "church, we need to reach out to others..." etc.) When you stop thinking buildings and start thinking outside the box, the possibilities are endless.
The multi-site book I mentioned talks about a fire station church! "North Little Rock fireman Jeff West attended an equipping class about taking his faith to his community and workplace. The class was taught at his church, Fellowship Bible Church of Little Rock, Arkansas.
"Jeff's mind went immediately to the community he knew best: firefighters. 'What about fire stations?' he thought, aware that a lot of firefighters are stuck at their firehouses on Sundays. Jeff also knew that his church would soon be opening a video venue on campus. 'Why couldn't we do the same thing in our firehouses?' he asked himself." The book goes on to tell of how Jeff's vision became reality - in 2005 the church was supporting up to 20 local fire station churches!"
2. The multi-site revolution will be a call for churches to get their act together. You hear much whining in the press about how Walmart is destroying mom and pop stores all over the country (my, how we Americans love to whine!) In nearly every issue of a Christian retailing magazine I read letters from mom and pop Christian bookstores who bemoan the fact that big-box stores are putting them out of business.
Walmart isn't exactly guiltless, but what you might not realize is that many of these little stores don't have the business sense to stay open past 5 o'clock, or don't sell some contemporary Christian music because it's "too worldly." By the time these stores realize we're living in the 21st century it's often too late - as a customer, I just might want to shop at 9pm and pick up the latest Kutlass CD.
Likewise, churches, if you insist on operating like it's 1963, you might not be too long for this world. If you're just now considering using contemporary music in your worship, you're 20 years behind. If your church is full of politics that strangle your ministry, you just might be put "out of business" by churches who are more concerned with seeing people reached for Christ.
As a blogger put it on the WorshipIdeas blogsite last week, "I have to wonder when we will start supporting each other and leave all the tearing down aside. It might be a good idea to go visit a multisite video church, sit through an entire service or two and even speak to some of the members before deciding that these newfangled churches are superficial and kind of like a social club."
Love it or hate it, we're living in a new world.
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9 comments:
Good post, I will check the book out
I believe your comments are right on target.
The multi site church has the potential to impact our world for Jesus in so many new ways.
Think of jails & prisons, retirement homes, hospitals. We can brainstorm and the list is endless.
The key is to lean toward that direction that makes your heart beat just a little bit faster.
Find that place and get to work.
I think the fire station idea is fantastic. I also feel you made an excellent point about how we Americans are so whiney, but that's another post another day.
I think it is time for smaller churches bigger churches Methodist churches Pentecostal churches etc... to put our differances aside and start working together. Imagine how many more homeless we could fed in a breadline with six or seven churches supporting it. Think of the outreaches that could be afforded if six or seven churches pooled some of their money and started to minister to the community. For example my church is rather small and we are doing Operation Christmas Child, we've partnered with another church in our community and we've both agreed to send 50 boxes, making the total 100 instead of the 50 we would have been able to do.
At any rate it's time for we the church to wake up and smell the coffee or we will be going out of business. God bless.
I just got an email comment which I guess the person didn't post here, but I think it's worth mentioning:
"It seems like a play toward our culture's penchant or "celebrity" - everyone wants to see the "famous pastor" talk (not the ordinary, every day pastor).
"I really think that it's wiser for the parent church to train preaching pastors and send them out to the new plant.
"The trend toward celebrity pastors reminds me of the Israelites during the time of Samuel when they cried out "give us a king like the other nations."
This is a great point. I was recently at a conference and Mike Slaughter from Ginghamsburg Church spoke.
He said the same thing - something to the effect that he himself has an ego problem and he thinks that's what's driving the video preaching.
I think that's a bit unfair. People tend to think if they have a problem, then everyone else must have the same problem. If Mike has an ego problem then he should train preachers.
I happen to like hearing Greg Surratt from the original Seacoast in Charleston! I don't get an ego vibe from him, I think he just wants all the campuses to be on the same page.
Seacoast campus pastors are encouraged to preach, too. Last Sunday Greg preached a few points of the message via video, and campus pastor Chris preached a point live. Very cool and interactive.
a lot to learn here. Thanks for the innovative thoughts and ideas.
Sorry to be a damper but innovation does not necessarily imply being faithful. There should be more deep reflection re: the "multiple-site church" idea. I sense that this is not being done. The attitiude seems to be: it's a new thing, perfectly harmless and "neutral" in its impact and influence so it's ok to try, God will bless it (he has to, after all, it's for the Gospel's sake) - but is God obligated to bless our good intentions? - I don't think he is. Time will tell how this idea changes the nature of ecclesia, community, body gifts, etc. I hope it's for the good - but as with all new technologies (as Jacques Ellul has so eloquently shown) this is not a guarantee.
I believe you are right on track. In many smaller communities there is a need for congregations locally, however, finding the resources to fund a church can be a challenge. We are a medium sized church in Tyler (we worship 400 on Sunday morning) and we have a satellite church in Hawkins, a small community about 40 mintutes north of Tyler. We videotape our sermon on Sunday morning and use it on Sunday evening in Hawkins. Until we had an organ donated to the Hawkins church, I was recording the music on a Smartmedia Disk in my Yamaha DGX 305. We have another DGX 305 in Hawkins. They plug the Smartmedia card in, and voila, I am there. We still use this system when they don't have an organist.
Talk about "tearing down," you sure did quite a bit of that in this post.
I also love your phrase, "going out of business." Sounds exactly like the world and how businesses and organizations talk. That's exactly how a lot of churches are being run these days, like large companies and the pastors are CEO's totally not taking into consideration the families in the church and the staf members. They'll get rid of someone if they're not performing up to par just to get someone else in there who sees things the way the pastor(head CEO)does and will brown-nose him. That's a great way to do church. That's a far cry from the church in Acts. The contemporary church of today is more like the church of Laodecia.
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