Recent posts on multi-site
The practice of multi-site church is, in a nutshell, one church meeting in multiple locations with central leadership of the church. Some churches like Mars Hill in Seattle do multi-site across multiple states. Others, like Highview Baptist in Louisville, KY are committed to their particular city. This is a topic that warrants discussion because it goes to the very heart of what the church is called by God to be. I believe there is a particularlity to the use of church in the New Testament that defines the church as being a particular local, gathered assembly. Here’s the definition of church that I write for our Missional Ecclesiology class
A local gathered community of regenerated believers indwelt by the Holy Spirit, saved and reconciled through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ, sent on mission all to the glory of God. The church is governed through congregational polity led by qualified male elders responsible for the right preaching of the Word. The church covenants together for holiness and discipleship; demonstrates and proclaims the true Gospel so as to evangelize the lost, bring back the wayward and serve the community; participates in the ordinances of believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper; and practices meaningful church membership and church discipline.
I’m still working on it, but it hits the main points
- Location – Church is local and gathered
- Composition- Regenerated believers
- Polity – congregational with male elders
- Activities – discipleship, proclaim gospel, evangelism, ordinances of Lord’s Supper and Baptism, service
Southern Seminary presented a panel this week entitled “Perspectices on Multi-Site Churches” featuring R. Albert Mohler, Jr. (president of Southern), Gregg Allison (professor at Southern and in Re:Train), Kevin Ezell (Senior Pastor of Highview Baptist Church), Greg Gilbert (Senior Pastoral Assistant for Church Planting at Capital Hill Baptist Church), and Daniel Montgomery (Founding and Teaching Pastor at Sojourn Community Church) which featured both practitioners (everyone but Gilbert) and non-practitioners. It’s a great conversation and it is a testament to disagreeing in love.
Today, Thabiti Anyabwile of First Baptist Church Grand Cayman posted on the 9Marks blog about multi-site. I would say that I’m in agreement with 9Marks and their concerns about multi-site. Many of the proponents of multi-site champion its pragmatism and effectiveness. What if, though
the limits of single-site, single-serivce congregational life are limits divinely appointed to ensure careful pastoral oversight. To ensure none of us actually have more sheep than we can handle by God’s grace. Perhaps.
That’s a powerful reminder to me of the weight of the responsibility of shepherding the flock that God entrusts to me, even if that flock is only ever my wife and children.