A little blog from an upstart theologian that will do its best to exemplify Christ while sharing a thing or two along the way.
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| Preachin's Blog A little blog from an upstart theologian that will do its best to exemplify Christ while sharing a thing or two along the way. |
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Tuesday, March 14, 2006 On Satellite Campus TrendsOne of the hot new trends in (mega) church growth is to plant a new church that features a full staff of associate pastors and ministers, a fresh and vibrant worship team, connecting small groups, and a weekly message from the senior pastor of the mother church…via DVD/video-feed. These satellite campuses are sprouting up throughout the United States, and elsewhere in the world, and many have grown to their own large churches. Some meet in movie theatres, others in converted warehouses, others in office complexes, some in school, and a plethora of other locales. Pioneered by innovative churches such as Willowcreek and Northpoint these satellite locations offer an extended arm of outreach into other communities which would not usually be touched by a particular church. Of course in some cases this kind of church growth strategy can be more like franchising a brand than planting a true church. While these satellite campuses are growing and seeing many people connect with them, there are some questions that need to asked.  Is not the vision for the church that we have delivered to us in Scripture one which will unite Christians together in local, intimate gatherings? I of course have my reservations about mega-churches, particularly from the rampant consumerism that is found within many and this franchising mode of growth seems to only build on that feeding frenzy. Yet, there is much good being done in these gatherings. Through the satellite campus work churches are being planted in the midst of communities with substantive financial backing and strategic planning, virtually guaranteeing a good weekly turn out. These churches are given, usually, a strong leadership team of laity and pastoral staff. While many other church plants are not provided this kind of backing, these churches are established in a healthy situation of planned mentoring and guidance of the (traditionally) younger staff. This staff will inevitably reflect the values and heritage of the mother-church staff and will be trained accordingly. It seems to be a healthy situation to go into, security, facilities, and funds to build a viable church campus…than is still attached to the mother-church. Of course the next major issue that leaps out is, how far should one church go in reaching out with their satellite campuses. For instance say a mega church in a large city near you wanted to bring a satellite campus into your area, would that church necessarily reflect values and traditions more appealing to your area than the overriding ones of the mother-church? Who elects the leadership (of course this question suggests an elected eldership is the model to use and not an oligarchy of pastoral appointments) the satellite campus or the mother-church? Can the connected pastoral staff of the satellite campus be replace at the whim of the leadership of the mother-church? Who gets to use the weekly offering of that satellite church? Does it go into a general slush fund, or is it all redirected back into that church? Of course the final question for we good Baptists is: how much autonomy is allocated to the satellite campus for their ministry endeavors? Local church autonomy is a vital facet of Baptist polity and belief. The ecclesiological question raised by the satellite church deals directly with that matter. While, traditionally, local church autonomy has more to with denominational oversight/involvement in the local church life, the advent of the satellite campus might well extend this along a secondary line of thought. While it is rational to expect satellite campuses within a particular geography (say a city wide area encompassing some suburban developments) to follow closely with the direction and leadership of the mother-church is it then reasonable to suggest that a satellite campus hundreds of miles away should do likewise? What is the cut-off? I ask because frankly I just don’t know yet. Is it reasonable from a Baptist ecclesiological (or any church ecclesiology for that matter) standpoint to suggest that if XYZ Baptist Church located on the East coast decides to do a satellite location in San Francisco, California that there is no autonomy given to that local congregation in San Francisco? Are their offering receipts forwarded along to the mother-church? Does the local congregation and leadership have any say in how their budget is allocated and dispensed, or is all that decided by the regulatory powers at the mother-church? As Baptist, particularly Southern Baptists, we must be mindful that the heart of our convention is church planting and missions for the Kingdom of God. Without these we are bereft of our Kingdom mandate and powerless in affecting our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Part of our rich heritage in these areas is to raise up like-minded, autonomous churches to accomplish this vision. How do satellite campuses fit in with this? They certainly are church plants, but it is a bit of hybrid of that idea. Yet even though a hybrid, are they any less entitled to the ecclesiology which guides us Baptists? Questions raised are important. As I contemplate this movement by many churches I also wonder that as a satellite campus becomes a stable entity, and the congregation grows closer to their pastoral staff, and they decide to allow that staff to lead them in every aspect of their worship experience and Christian development will the mother-church allow that satellite campus to become its own, independent church? At what point does the message on tape get turned off and the on-site staff get to pastor their flock? Even more pressing, can a mother-church pastor effectively shepherd a flock two hundred miles from his pulpit? These satellite campuses are terrific works of God to aid in the spread of our churches to communities where they might not otherwise be reached. Many good Christian people have and are attending services at a satellite campus. We have seen thousand reached with the Gospel and millions more potentially reached. The point of all this is not to condemn or berate the satellite movement, but to ask cogent questions of intent and desire. If we are to maintain our historical Baptist distinctives can we really see a franchising movement take place in our churches which overrides the call to local New Testament congregations led by God’s man preaching God’s Word to God’s People? Or will these satellite campuses usher in a new era of church planting where we see terrific results for the Kingdom in terms of lives changed because of the Gospel? posted by Preachin Jesus | 11:34 AM | |
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