There is talk going around again about "Video Venues"...in other words the satellite worship venues offered by some larger churches. I could weigh in with personal experience from the church I am out-of, but I'm not going to.
Scot McKnight is talking about it today. Bob Hyatt talked about it recently, as did Steve McCoy, and a number of others.
Bottom line: As consumeristic sheep, I wonder if our tendency is to believe that the Pastor of a church that draws 5000 people must be better and more important than other Pastors. We should begin to remember that God works through all men who preach Christ. Not only the Pastor of the megachurch who draws so many that there isn't enough room for all who want to hear him, but also the Pastor of the small church plant with 80 memnbers and the Pastor of the tiny house church where babies cry during service.
1 Cor 3:4-7 "For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."
I believe God can feed me through anyone who preaches Christ. After all, it's God's job to feed me, the words of men are just the vessels. And although I believe in the necessity of being connected with one particular body as our main source of fellowship (tho I'm not in practice at the moment), as far as teaching is concerned, I could church-hop and still know that God would make sure that I hear what He wants me to hear.
It's not about the preachin' man. It's about the Risen Man.
Scot McKnight is talking about it today. Bob Hyatt talked about it recently, as did Steve McCoy, and a number of others.
Bottom line: As consumeristic sheep, I wonder if our tendency is to believe that the Pastor of a church that draws 5000 people must be better and more important than other Pastors. We should begin to remember that God works through all men who preach Christ. Not only the Pastor of the megachurch who draws so many that there isn't enough room for all who want to hear him, but also the Pastor of the small church plant with 80 memnbers and the Pastor of the tiny house church where babies cry during service.
1 Cor 3:4-7 "For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."
I believe God can feed me through anyone who preaches Christ. After all, it's God's job to feed me, the words of men are just the vessels. And although I believe in the necessity of being connected with one particular body as our main source of fellowship (tho I'm not in practice at the moment), as far as teaching is concerned, I could church-hop and still know that God would make sure that I hear what He wants me to hear.
It's not about the preachin' man. It's about the Risen Man.
hey decomp - yes, a friend of mine who attended a megachurch in my city that decided to create satellite "campuses" had rousing discussions with me about it. When talking with her I said it sounded like Franchising.
ReplyDeleteThen I read an article about satellite church sites in Christianity Today. (you can search their archives for i, sorry, no link) The pros for it made good sense... good business sense.
It still doesn't sit right with me, but apparently for many people it's a non-issue.
Does your church that you don't attend have satellite sites?
I realize that it's a good thing for many people, because we can end up with smaller fellowships within the same church. But I wonder at what point should we realize that there are many other gifted and called Pastors who could Pastor smaller satellites and plants, rather than keeping it all about one man?
ReplyDeleteYes the church I am out-of does a varition of satellites...