Portable Church

[LaylaMonroe]

Whatchall think about portable churches? The ones that have like 6 or 7 different locations and the pastor preaches via satellite? Anybody seen/heard of this?

Basically, the churches have these big, huge, lifelike screens at the "pulpit" (usually a stage) and if you didn't know better, you would think the pastor was actually there, but he's not. He's preaching from another location and the other churches under his pastorate are watching him live (or pre-recorded) via video.

I'll see if I can find an article or something.

[blessedwoman]

Why do that when I can stay at home and do the same thing by watching a preacher on tv.

Me personally, I don't think I would like it very much...

[SirTJ]

I know a few churches that do it (most of them predominantly white) and it seems to work for them. All of them post the sermon for free donline, though, in both Video and MP3 format for download, so....umm...I'd probably be like BW and just watch it at home. 

[LaylaMonroe]

Nooooooo, staying at home makes you miss out on the "fellowship" part. 

I will say this much, as for my take on it, if you are already a fan or member of a mega church, I'm not sure I see how this would be any different. Either way, you probably rarely, if ever, get to physically see/touch/talk to the pastor anyway. And a lot of times, those sanctuaries and overflow rooms are so big that you end up watching whoever's at the pulpit on a screen anyway.  Your relationships are mostly with other leaders and small groups. So in that case, I really don't see the difference.

However, I'm a small church chick, so that wouldn't work for me.

@Teej, there's a Birmingham church with a bunch of campuses that just opened one in Montgomery, and yeah, I think they're white too.

[phbrown]

I don't have an opinion concerning it.

I have not personally seen it but I have read about it.

There are some where an associate pastor/minister (not sure of the title) will handle all the face to face interactions and anything that comes up and then when it is time for the sermon that person gets off the stage and lets the pastor preach.


That way the laymembers still have the opportunity to talk to a clergy member about whatever is on their mind and they still hear from their pastor.

[B3Wannabe]

That would be hot.

We had a Hammond XC3 in my home church, which supports MIDI, and when they didn't have anyone to play organ/keyboard anymore, I was trying to figure out a way to play it via the internet. I couldn't figure it out.

Next: Pay your tithes and offering via paypal!

[LaylaMonroe]

That would be hot.

We had a Hammond XC3 in my home church, which supports MIDI, and when they didn't have anyone to play organ/keyboard anymore, I was trying to figure out a way to play it via the internet. I couldn't figure it out.

Next: Pay your tithes and offering via paypal!

Churches have been doing that for several years now. 

[sjonathan02]

Churches have been doing that for several years now. 

Indeed.

[keyboard_kait]

There's a big church out here that does that also...it's a white church too lol
Comin from a small church, I think it'd be weird that the pastor would have the SAME message for all of the different congregations. I feel like when my pastor preaches, a lot of times it's a message that he feels is specifically for that congregation. Not all the time, but many times...

[gtrdave]

What you're referring to is not so much "portable church" as it is satellite campuses or satellite church or multi-site ministry.
Multi-site has been happening all over the U.S. and elsewhere for many years and it is growing in popularity.
My church is looking into expanding to a satellite campus in the next couple years if our growth rate continues and if it's God's will...and my pastor has had it on his heart for many years now, since before I got here.

For really successful examples of satellite ministries you can look at Andy Stanley (son of tv preacher Charles Stanley), Craig Groeschel, Chris Hodges and others. Also, those pastors are all part of the same organization that my church is a part of: ARC = Association of Related Churches...a church planting ministry.

My feelings on satellite campuses are mixed: I can see the positives of having many people in different locations gather under a particular form of unity in worship and preaching and, hey, I'd rather have people be going to church, being fed and growing in Jesus' name than not going anywhere, given the choice of the 2.
The main negative I could see, though, is the potential to hinder ministers and leaders and pastors by having 1 pastor teach over 4 locations rather than having 4 pastors teach, etc...and it can easily have the appearance of being a little ego driven as opposed to Gospel driven.
That said, the pastors I mentioned above, as well as other multi-site preachers I've witnessed, I have experienced as being very good preachers of the Gospel and the success of their churches, imho, is in the fact that they preach Jesus with no excuses and no watering down of the message.
If another minister or leader or preacher is ready to take the reigns of their own church, the ARC will support them in the same way that it helped the guys like Craig and Chris mentioned above in planting their own church and satellite campus.

[LaylaMonroe]

The one in Alabama (Chris Hodges) refers to itself as a portable church, so that's why I used that label. *shrug*

Anyway, during the week, I stay in walking distance from Charles Stanley's church. It amazes me how much traffic that church sees, day and night... truly an enterprise.

IRT the whole multi-site, two churches in one location, satellite, portable movement, I may be a bit skeptical, but I tend to think that most people who do that don't do it for the sake of performing more ministry, they do it for a nice ego boost. That's just my two cents.

I have found that most of them can do "more ministry" right in their own towns. It's not about ministry for them, it's about having more, looking more successful, making their names greater, and having a nicer resume. A locally renowned bishop in Atlanta said recently, "How can you call yourself building an international ministry and you haven't even had an impact in your own community yet?" I mean, come on, at LEAST accomplish ONE LITTLE SOMETHING in your neighborhood before you try to build a Storefront Church of the Living God #2 in the next city over... 

My two cents: build a church when there is a need (as some of the guys GTRD mentioned have). If you have scores of people traveling a distance to get to you, and they're all coming from the same area, then yeah, build a church there. I can dig that. But if you have 50 members, and you're going to pull on the same 50 to support this new "venture" in another location, save us all the trouble. 

Whew. I don't know where that rant came from. 

[B3Wannabe]

What would everyone's answer be if the "minister" or "preacher" was Jesus?

If the answer is "woohoo!" then I think it should be the same for a pastor.

I think this same line of thinking could be applied to megachurches: why would one pastor want to be over 30000 people, when 15 pastors over 2000 is more efficient?

The positive about this is that everyone is getting the same message and not different interpretations, but then again, that can also be a downside as well.

[SirTJ]

Anyway, during the week, I stay in walking distance from Charles Stanley's church. It amazes me how much traffic that church sees, day and night... truly an enterprise.

Whaaaaat? That would be a dream for me. Him and especially his son (Andy Stanley) have been two of the most influential preachers in my life. I've learned and grown so much from their teachings. The wisdom in that family is beyond me.

[nessalynn77]

I don't like it, but I guess that's me personally.  My feeling is if you pastor that many locations, you should have someone trained and seasoned enough to bring the message that morning.  I guess altar calls are going the way of testimony service, too.  I sure wouldn't want to be convicted enough to go to the altar, only to be prayed for "on screen".  Of course, I guess each location could have altar workers, it just doesn't equate to a real, self-contained (for lack of a better term) service.

[B3Wannabe]

I don't like it, but I guess that's me personally.  My feeling is if you pastor that many locations, you should have someone trained and seasoned enough to bring the message that morning.  I guess altar calls are going the way of testimony service, too.  I sure wouldn't want to be convicted enough to go to the altar, only to be prayed for "on screen".  Of course, I guess each location could have altar workers, it just doesn't equate to a real, self-contained (for lack of a better term) service.

Better yet, they can put the screens and debit card slots in the back of the seats, so you won't even have to go up to the altar for prayer or to get in one of those offering lines.

I can see it now:

o O O oOO O ( I can see you, right through this screen. God hears your cry, just touch the screen in front of you and believe. If you would just partner with me today, God is going to bless you 10, 100, 1000-fold! )

...then the debit card slot starts to blink green, with a dollar amount showing on the screen.

[nessalynn77]

Better yet, they can put the screens and debit card slots in the back of the seats, so you won't even have to go up to the altar for prayer or to get in one of those offering lines.

I can see it now:

o O O oOO O ( I can see you, right through this screen. God hears your cry, just touch the screen in front of you and believe. If you would just partner with me today, God is going to bless you 10, 100, 1000-fold! )

...then the debit card slot starts to blink green, with a dollar amount showing on the screen.

Hopefully, Jesus comes back before that happens, LOL!

[gtrdave]

My two cents: build a church when there is a need (as some of the guys GTRD mentioned have). If you have scores of people traveling a distance to get to you, and they're all coming from the same area, then yeah, build a church there. I can dig that. But if you have 50 members, and you're going to pull on the same 50 to support this new "venture" in another location, save us all the trouble. 

Yeah, I can't see (but know that it happens) a small church of less than a hundred trying to successfully pull off a satellite campus. The guys I mentioned all pastor over churches of thousands. 10s of thousands. And they all do various forms of ministry with excellence: Word, music, video, production, groups, etc...
I've been to Hodges' main Birmingham campus and it's amazing, especially when you realize that he started just a few years ago with about a dozen people in a true portable church (set-up/tear down every service).

Me? I'm just trying to get my soundmen to hear the ringing feedback in the pastor's mic and TURN THE STUPID THING DOWN!!!
We're not ready for a satellite campus.

[sjonathan02]

Yeah, I can't see (but know that it happens) a small church of less than a hundred trying to successfully pull off a satellite campus. The guys I mentioned all pastor over churches of thousands. 10s of thousands. And they all do various forms of ministry with excellence: Word, music, video, production, groups, etc...
I've been to Hodges' main Birmingham campus and it's amazing, especially when you realize that he started just a few years ago with about a dozen people in a true portable church (set-up/tear down every service).

Me? I'm just trying to get my soundmen to hear the ringing feedback in the pastor's mic and TURN THE STUPID THING DOWN!!!
We're not ready for a satellite campus.

 

We have to be in the market for a direct box because of the 'buzz' in our speakers. It's gotten bad, recently. 

Any suggestions?

[mbamoody]

Pastor R.A. Vernon, of The Word Church, does this. He has 4 locations in Cleveland, OH and one in Akron. He recently promoted one of his sons in ministry to be the Pastor of the Akron location. While some would argue about the pastor not being present at a service and being watched from a screen; I would focus on the rest of the service. It not like they gather there for a 30-45 min sermon and go home; they actually have a worship service. They have a live P&W team, offering, prayer, alter call, greeters and ushers. They're just hearing a live stream of the message. I think it's a good thing, for a ministry that large, to do until someone is raised up to shepard the branching locations.

[LaylaMonroe]

What would everyone's answer be if the "minister" or "preacher" was Jesus?

If the answer is "woohoo!" then I think it should be the same for a pastor.

I don't like that comparison at all. Jesus' motives could never be questioned, for one. Secondly, Jesus has this supernatural ability to touch people even without physically being in their presence... unlike a mortal human pastor. I won't say it's apples and oranges, but it's like apples and pomegranates, at least. Or oranges and tangerines...

I think this same line of thinking could be applied to megachurches: why would one pastor want to be over 30000 people, when 15 pastors over 2000 is more efficient?

I think this line of reasoning is flawed. If a pastor is MARKETING and ADVERTISING the church, then that's a different story. But if he's just minding his business, doing church as usual, and the people are flocking to his ministry, of course he's going to accept them, which could mean eventually pastoring 30k people... of no doing of his own.

The positive about this is that everyone is getting the same message and not different interpretations, but then again, that can also be a downside as well.

Yep. Definitely a positive and a negative.