Are Multi-site Churches Cheating?
Maybe its just me but the idea of multi-site churches seems to be gaining wider and wider acceptance. Recently a mega church in the suburbs of Pittsburgh announced that is going to be planting a site near our church. A week later I meet some guys in the Philadelphia area that are in the PCA and planning to follow a pattern similar to Harbor in San Diego. Even my pastor has stated that our church is considering the idea of multiple locations. So here is my questions: Is multi-site cheating? Is it church planting or church growth? Part of my questions comes from a conversation with a guy I know who seemed to say that multi-site was only a step to church planting. Is he right? Should multiple locations be looked at as only half churches? or some in between step?
Clearly its a question of philosophy of ministry. I would tend to believe that more traditional people would see multi-sites as cheating, where others would see multiple leaders and multiple sites all working as one as a valid way of ministering.
Sam I guess I tend to think its not cheating, just another way of approaching church growth than traditional church planting. Some of the concerns that many guys in multi-sites I’ve spoken with raise is whether they remain able to shepherd their several locations effectively, and the nagging problem of them not reaching the neighborhoods their multi-sites lay within…what happens sometimes is that people in the one church pick the venue and preacher they like best and drive extra miles to get to him…so instead of you reaching the local area or city region what you have is a ‘favorite fest’. Its tough to avoid…but all in all I like the idea of multi-site and if the church I plant in a city someday ever grows large enough I would certainly consider it an optional route to take, even if just for a season.