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Featured Multi-site churches

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Jacob_Elliott, Dec 29, 2013.

  1. Jacob_Elliott

    Jacob_Elliott New Member

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    As some of you know a few well known pastors that have mega churches have started churches in other cities that they also pastor over. I have never been to one of these churches, but I believe the church streams the pastor in from the home church and watches the service on a projector (please correct me if I'm wrong). I have no scripture to argue against this practice, but I don't believe the pastor can have the intimacy required to lead a church with two different churches, not to mention two churches in different cities. Anyone have an opinion on this or any scripture that might be relevant to this issue?
     
  2. quantumfaith

    quantumfaith Active Member

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    I am a "member" of such a church. Although some I am sure many do "stream" messages, we do not. Our pastor/teaching staff (Andy Stanley and others) most often preach in "series". Sometimes the series that we use may be quite "new", sometimes we may use a series a couple of years old.

    I too was afraid of the loss of that intimacy prior to my first visit. But I quickly adjusted, as our small group more readily supplies that need. It is not for everyone, that I understand. But I am most grateful for the fact that our primary mission is to be a church that "unchurched" folks want to visit and attend.
     
  3. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    You dont need Scripture, its just common sense. If a "church" - say in Calif that streams Andy Stanley- do you think that Andy will hop on a plane and preform a wedding or a funeral for a member of said church? As Baptists, we believe that a church is a LOCAL group of believers.

    Excellent disscusion Jacob.
     
  4. HeDied4U

    HeDied4U Well-Known Member
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    The church my wife and I attend has a main "campus" (I hate that term in relation to churches) and one satellite location. The satellite location has a "campus pastor," but the sermon is streamed from the main location. The pastor at the satellite location does weddings, counseling and other pastoral duties....except preach, that is.
     
  5. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    I would hope this is a temporary situation and a full time pastor, including preaching, would be found for the satellite church.
     
  6. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    So why doesnt the "Campus pastor" do the preaching?
     
  7. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    The church where I serve has multiple sites in the city we serve. But we've not extended beyond that region because we don't think it is appropriate to take our ministry and go into another context.

    That said, we use both video venues and live preaching on an alternating basis.

    Multisite churches are not unscriptural, though they do represent an ecclesiological challenge if done poorly or simply to push one pastor's agenda. They can be used in pretty amazing ways to revitalize churches that are dead or dying.

    They might seem out of place in traditional models but can be pretty well used when done appropriately imho.
     
  8. Jacob_Elliott

    Jacob_Elliott New Member

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    That's my fear, that it's an ego trip, but who am I to judge.
     
  9. Jacob_Elliott

    Jacob_Elliott New Member

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    Mark Driscoll has several church's like this and I don't believe they have a main pastor that preaches. Not saying it's right, just giving an example.
     
  10. HeDied4U

    HeDied4U Well-Known Member
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    Because the "senior" pastor does the preaching. The sermons are beamed in.
     
  11. quantumfaith

    quantumfaith Active Member

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    Even "local" pastors can have ego issues. BTW, we have a full local staff, including a pastor.
     
  12. SolaSaint

    SolaSaint Well-Known Member

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    This is what I saw at the seeker church we left about 10 years, the senior pastor didn't trust anyone else to preach, so he streamed himself live to two other locations. They did use small groups to take care of pastoral ministries. However I feel in this case it was a problem of pride.
     
  13. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    Years ago, our senior pastor had a vision of starting another church further east on Long Island. 5 years ago, my husband felt called to start that church. We are now 3.5 years old and just finally moving from the hotel we've been meeting in and will be building out a warehouse for our church.

    When we started, my husband asked if they were thinking video and it was clearly stated "no" but within a year of being there, that is what we went to. We have a large staff at church and had 11 pastors so until that time, we had my husband preaching 1/2 the time and the other pastors coming out and preaching too. It worked out well but then we went to video. It was not a good time, I'll just say that. Our church campus attendance dropped by more than half. But God spoke to our senior pastor and we only had the videos for 6 weeks and now we're back to hubby preaching more than 1/2 the time and the other pastors guest preaching as well.

    I believe that churches - even the separate campuses - should have live preaching at each campus. A friend of ours has a church with 3 campuses and what they do is the pastors meet together and plan out the sermon series together. They work on the same passage, the same message but then put it together in their own style/words. It works out great, honestly! I wish we could do that but then again, hubby's had some great message series that have been so good. :)
     
  14. Jacob_Elliott

    Jacob_Elliott New Member

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    This is true, and I forgot to say it last time but I appreciate your insight as a member of one of these churches.:thumbs:
     
  15. Jacob_Elliott

    Jacob_Elliott New Member

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    Glad everything worked out! :godisgood:
     
  16. quantumfaith

    quantumfaith Active Member

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    Andy, by far, is the most "desired and appreciated" or our pastor/teachers. Personally, I would like if our "local pastor", staff and lay leaders, would be more involved in the pastor/teacher role. I do "fear" just a bit, what might happen when Andy takes on less of such a role. But that is an issue that each member must deal with personally in terms of their own personal growth and maturity as a believer. Our church, is like all other churches, in that often, for many, the "attraction" is the personality in the pulpit. Small groups are a big effort to "combat" that aspect of growth and immaturity.
     
  17. thisnumbersdisconnected

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    Years ago, I lived in Colorado, working at a rescue mission as senior addictions counselor. There are few SBC churches there, but I found a non-denom where half the staff was from reformed seminaries and the other half was from SBC seminaries. It had, at the time, two campuses -- which, by the way, I have no problem with a church facility being described that way as I noted others did on this thread.

    At any rate, the campuses are at opposite ends of a major thoroughfare in the north part of Colorado Springs, about 10 miles apart. They use video links but have live music at both locations, the two praise and worship bands playing the same songs and video cuts being put up on the screens in both campuses showing worshipers at both campuses while the music plays. Announcements and other non-sermon on-camera segments alternate between the two campuses. The senior pastor usually preaches from the west campus, but occasionally does so from the east campus.

    The last I heard from friends there, they are opening a third campus in downtown Colorado Springs sometime in 2014. Don't know if that is still on the drawing board or not. The bottom line, though, is that each campus had its own distinct flavor, its own fellowship, its own atmosphere, but both blended well with one another on the occasions events took place involving both campuses, but only at one venue or the other. I was amazed at how well everything tied together, and the fact that it felt like one church body.

    I'm convinced it can be done well, but it may not be for everyone. Our church, my current church, six years ago dwindled to fewer than 350 worshipers over an open feud between the senior and music pastors, to the point both were asked to leave. We prayerfully sought new staff, found the right people, healed, grew and now have over 1,500 worshipers regularly at three Sunday morning services in a church that was designed to accommodate 850-900 in that timeframe. We were faced with either building a mega-campus -- which no one was particularly interested in doing -- or doing a multi-site church, which is what we've decided to to.

    We're taking it slowly. The target date for opening our second site is September, 2015. We aren't sure whether we will go with video or a second staff at this time. I'm on the planning committee, and have contacted my previous church and their staff has consulted with ours. Whichever way we go, I'm sure it will preserve the feel and community of a single church body if we approach it with the proper prayerful attitude and sense of being the body of Christ that has brought us to this point in just six years.
     
  18. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    Let me get this straight - each "campus" has its own live praise brand - but the senior pastor's sermon is streamed to the other campus.

    Why is the sermon streamed, but not the music?

    Sounds like a matter of priorities.
     
  19. thisnumbersdisconnected

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    You misunderstand. The music from both campuses is streamed live simultaneously. Video/audio production is mixed and fed live to both sites, with video intercuts from both sites shown during the music, as are announcements, Scripture readings, and other parts of the order of service are alternated between the sites. Each campus has a part in the service, but the west campus was the first church site, it is where the staff and pastors' offices are located, and it is just "easier," I guess, for them usually originate the message from that location. As I said, the pastor will, about once a month, give the message from the east site, just for variety. And both campuses are used for common church events such as fellowship breakfasts, for example.
     
  20. quantumfaith

    quantumfaith Active Member

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    This is how WE do it Salty, our praise band is always LIVE, the message is on Disk.
     
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