Here in Omaha I know of two successful multi-site churches. The primary purpose for establishing at least one of them was to create a site nearer to where a considerable number of the church’s members lived (the Omaha metro is sprawling). A popular associate pastor leads it and my understanding is it is thriving and drwing new members. I was at first skeptical of this “franchising” the church, wondering why it didn’t simply bless that associate pastor and let him spin off and start his own independent church. But as a friend and member of that church convincingly explained it to me, it is good stewardship not to have to duplicate all the support staff, paperwork and other administrative overhead. I do wonder, however, as this second site grows and builds a large congregation with no connection to the “mother church,” will they want to shirk off its reins and become independent? I guess that’s a case by case situation, depending on the degree of oversight and perceived meddling.
One brand of multi-site church that I would oppose is where the local church location is a front for a pastor in another city. My unsaved brother was invited by a co-worker to such a church. A praise band played some songs, announcements were made, offering collected, and then a screen descended to show the satellite feed of the pastor’s sermon (live from Texas, if I remember right). It really turned off my brother—a church without a pastor on site?? Going to church to watch TV?? That was the first I heard of a church with “franchise” locations in other cities that simply play a satellite feed of a popular pastor (in their defense, the congregation do local activities and hold small group meetings). That’s McChurch and that would be a bad trend (which I thankfully have not heard of before or since; surely the Copelands, Hinns and Osteens would have capitalized on it if it were viable).
Discussion
NewThe McChurch Model for Church Growth
One brand of multi-site church that I would oppose is where the local church location is a front for a pastor in another city. My unsaved brother was invited by a co-worker to such a church. A praise band played some songs, announcements were made, offering collected, and then a screen descended to show the satellite feed of the pastor’s sermon (live from Texas, if I remember right). It really turned off my brother—a church without a pastor on site?? Going to church to watch TV?? That was the first I heard of a church with “franchise” locations in other cities that simply play a satellite feed of a popular pastor (in their defense, the congregation do local activities and hold small group meetings). That’s McChurch and that would be a bad trend (which I thankfully have not heard of before or since; surely the Copelands, Hinns and Osteens would have capitalized on it if it were viable).