the multi-site church (meaning 1 church whose congregation meets at different locations or campuses) isn’t really a new thing. i don’t know who first started it, but it’s been around for a while now. as a phenomenon, however, it seems to be spreading into more and more parts of the nation. no longer is the multi-site method confined to large metropolitan areas. it’s happening all over and it’s an interesting thing to watch.

because of technology, a single church can now have campuses miles, if not cities away from each other. and, while each movement does multi-site a little differently (i will not attempt to speak as an ‘expert’ since i’ve little experience, only observation), you typically find one prominent, charismatic (used in the personality sense, not the theological sense) teaching pastor who is piped in to every campus. then, at those campuses, one might find any variety of administration formats: some have live music, some are all video. some have individual campus pastors, some have a network of assistant pastors for congregants to interact with.

again, i’m certainly not an expert, (though here at calvary we like to jokingly refer to our overflow hall as our West Campus).

but i was thinking about multi-site churches the other day and wondering about the benefits and drawbacks it might have as a method.

on one hand, a multi-site church is able to pool resources and do larger work than individual churches, even compared to individual churches cooperating together. one church with multiple bodies can do some real damage (in the positive sense) because of the number of people, resources and opportunities which are all gathered together under one administrative roof and vision.

growth is a good thing. though some advocate smaller churches, i wonder how you decide when a church ‘too big’? if God is adding to the church, if people are showing up to be a part of the ministry, at what number should you start turning them away? 10,000? 1,000? 100? logistically, if a church is quite sizable and continues to grow, at some point you will run into space issues. i think most people have no problem with a church that has 2 services, but you can’t very well have 8 sunday services at the same location (well, you could i suppose, but you’d go through staff pretty fast since they’d probably die at that pace).

from that angle, i understand why a church would want to perhaps split into 2 or more campuses. it can solve logistical problems for a church bursting at the seems. it can also elevate the presence of that ministry in different parts of the community, or often different communities altogether.

on the other hand, i wonder if the tip-top pastors of these multi-site churches really are ‘pastors’ to, say, the individual congregant 2 cities over who may never actually meet said pastor.

more importantly, i sometimes wonder if some congregants aren’t attached to the church as much as they are attached to the personality in the pulpit. and, if that is the case, is that a characteristic that is more…papal in feel? would it be better for people to just grab his teachings online and then be involved with a truly local ministry?

these are just some of the thoughts i think from my safe and comfortable armchair here.

and they’re really just thoughts. i’m not attempting to make a statement.

i believe that large churches can do incredible good. growth is good. i believe that methods must change and update in order to engage each generation and culture. when method doesn’t change, movements die.

but, i also look at the evangelical church and see a trend toward something that’s very new and, perhaps, untested. i’ve just been wondering if what we see is an adaptation to growth and a technologically advanced culture or if it’s something else. a personality driven Church that elevates a few individuals while potentially negating some of the pastoral duties we see demonstrated by guys like Paul or Timothy.

like i said, i’m wondering.

and i’m wondering what you’re wondering.

a couple people will read this post. some of you attend a multi-site church and some of you don’t. if you’re inclined to click a link and type a little bit, i’m interested in hearing any thoughts you’re willing to share. because i’d like to think more about what we’re seeing around us. and i’d like more thoughts than those my armchair can generate.

so, be a pal and do what normal people don’t do anymore on the wide, wide world of web: comment on a blog post.

every age has its own characteristics. right now we are in an age of religious complexity. the simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. in its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention, but can never satisfy the longing of the heart.

the shallowness of our inner experience, the hollowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we, in this day, know God only imperfectly & the peace of God scarcely at all.

we must simply our approach to Him. we must strip down to essentials (and they will be found to be blessedly few). we must put away all effort to impress, and come with the guileless candor of childhood.

if we do this, without doubt God will quickly respond.

it’s tuesday.

do you know about positive post tuesday?

if i’m honest, i think sometimes positivity is only possible when things are good. i act like it is a condition of my current situation.

it’s as if i’ve convinced myself that i can be positive (loving, gracious, compassionate) only if my circumstances are beneficial to me in some way.

when we look into the Bible we find that Christians are never promised that things will always be good. in fact, we’re promised much the opposite; that suffering and struggle and persecution and hurt are coming our way.

today people are struggling all over the place, be they Christian or not.

and still, we know that we can be positive because of who we serve…the God of Love.

i was reminded of this fact today when i saw this little video in my reader from pastor greg laurie.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UHEww_GqXw&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

i’m excited about the work God wants to do around the world today and i’m even more excited that He wants me to be a little part of it.

it’s tuesday. be positive.

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remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books? the ones where every few pages you’d get to a choice to either go with the smugglers or to open the package you found beneath the park bench?

despite the fact that i always, and i mean always ended up dead/kidnapped/lost at sea, i really enjoyed those.

this week, i dare you to do something. and, like any good CYOA book, i’m giving you 2 options.

here’s your choice:

Turn Off Your Blog Stats for 1 week.

or,

Go On A News Fast for 1 week.

no stats. no news. pick one and see what happens.

human beings can live without stats for 1 week.

we can even live without news for 1 week.

i’m guess that if you do it, some interesting things will happen.

would love to hear if any of you actually decide to do this, or if you ever have.

maranatha

*photo by Kyle Slattery

there’s a royal route to heaven
will you travel it today?
’tis the path of full surrender
all along the homeward way
it is yielding every moment
to the blessed Savior’s will
seeking only for His glory
and His purpose to fulfill

there’s a royal route to heaven
’tis the way the Savior trod
’tis the path of full surrender
and the deep, sweet peace of God

there’s a royal route to heaven
they who travel it may know
peace that passeth understanding
which the Father doth bestow
dead to self and its desires
living unto Christ alone
finding joy and satisfaction
which the world has never known

there’s a royal route to heaven
which will bring a rich reward
when the last long mile is covered
and we face our loving Lord
oh, how small will seem the trials
of the steep and rugged way
when we stand in His blest presence
at the close of life’s brief day

{ avis b. christiansen }

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the moment a Christian, or a church, departs from the principle of revelation and goes into high criticism or intellectual understanding of the Bible, all spiritual authority is lost.

this is very relevant to the days in which we live and to the land in which we live. instead of attacking a city in the name of the Lord, the very spirit of the city gets into the life of the church. the local church becomes full of party strife and division, and believers become materialistic. the Bible is approached on the basis of ‘what i cannot understand, i will discard.’

if we submit the Word of God to our own intellect and refuse to believe in the possibility of absolute, authoritative revelation, the church loses its power and authority. and if it loses the ability to say, ‘thus saith the Lord,’ it has no answer to the problems of our times.

during the last century we have talked about the spread of modernism & neo-orthodoxy as if those things were new. but they are as old as the New Testament.

…if you want an enlightened mind on the Word of God, you have to live a crucified life.

that’s the principle.“

{ alan redpath  >>  the royal route to heaven }

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he just gets better and better…

in looking carefully over the history of the times, and the movement of the times, of which we have written briefly, this fact is apparent: that where ministers and Christian churches have held fast to the truth that the Holy Scriptures have been given by God as an authoritative and infallible rule of faith and practice, they have never wandered very seriously out of the right way.

but when, on the other hand, reason has been exalted above revelation, and made the exponent of revelation, all kinds of errors and mischiefs have been the result.

if this be a fact – and who can disprove it? – then we live in dangerous times, and there is great peril very near all those, whoever they may be, who call in question the inspiration – the Divine inspiration – of the Word of God.

c.h. spurgeon | The Down Grade Controversy pg 13

thoughts?

i think a GREAT idea for a masters/doctoral thesis @ a seminary (shiver!) or Bible college would be to create a really good map/chart/timeline set.

i mean a REALLY good one. like, take each book of the Bible and have a set of maps and charts and timelines and genealogies for each one. then at the end of each book you could have your nice thick maps and measures that give reference to the prophet’s journey or the judge’s conquest. you’d be able to see just how far it is from Cana to Capernaum without having to look at “Judea in Jesus’ day.”

you could even grid the map with verse references from each book or at least glossaritize the set at the end of the project.

obviously there would be some gaps, but i’m so tired of only having the “1st, 2nd and 3rd Missionary Journeys of Paul Through Asia” in the back of my Bible.

i know there are talented people out there and i know all of us would benefit from a set like this.

who’s with me?

i witnessed something interesting this morning.

we’re dog-sitting at my parents house for a few days (i guess that means we’re house-sitting too). this morning, as i got ready for my day, i went into the hall bathroom to finish up my hygienic routine.

this particular bathroom is set up like many bathrooms; 1 tub, 1 toilet and a long counter with 2 sinks and 2 mirrors above said sinks.

as i was brushing my teeth (which takes 2 minutes with our sonicare) i noticed a little house-fly who was in quite a predicament.

you see, he (she? it?) was flying back and forth from one mirror to the other in a continual loop. but he wasn’t landing on the mirrors…he was flying into them.

bzzzzBAM!

bzzzzzzBAM!

bzzzzBAM!

bzzzzzzBAM!

his little fly body would just bounce right off the mirror’s face. then he’d right himself and start back on the semi-circular path to the next mirror.

i literally watched him do this at least 20 times. over and over. putting tiny dents in his gloriously durable exoskeleton (do flies have exoskeletons? i refuse to look it up).

i’m sure there’s some lesson for me in this, but i haven’t discovered what it is yet.

i know it’ll make a great sermon illustration someday.

and now it’s catalogued on this blog for when i forget it.

happy wednesdaBAM!

the gospel of grace of God needs great improvement – at least, so i am informed – but i know that it is no business of mine to improve it, my part is to act upon it. no doubt many would improve God Himself from off the face of the earth, if they could. they would improve the Atonement until it vanished.

the dispute is not between us and modern thought, but between God and the wisdom of men…call it what you like, it is in the Book from which we derive our authority.

my brethren, we are at this present hour set for the defense of the gospel.

these are times of drifting: men have pulled up their anchors and are driven to and fro with winds and tides of diverse kinds. as for me, i have in this hour of danger not only let down the great bower anchor, but i have cast four anchors out of the stern. that may be quite the wrong place, but in these times we need anchoring both fore and aft.

Charles Spurgeon {An All-Round Ministry} pg 263-264 selections

read the rest here