Typically, the satellite churches do not have their own preaching pastor. Instead, the sermons of the pastor of the headquarters church are transmitted by video to each of the campuses. The satellite church may have one or more pastors who manage the site, provide pastoral care, and lead youth activities. A worship team of paid musicians provide live music at the Sunday service. These staff are provided by the headquarters church. Members of the satellite are normally encouraged to participate in small group ministries.
Multi-site churches are normally also “megachurches.” Satellite churches bring many of these characteristics of megachurches to smaller communities. “The term megachurch generally refers to any Protestant congregation with a sustained average weekly attendance of 2,000 persons or more in its worship services. Common characteristics of mega-churches include strong charismatic senior ministers, many associate pastors, large staff, robust congregational identity that empowers 100's to 1,000's of weekly volunteers, an identity that draws people from a very large area (sometimes an hour or more) and across parish boundaries, a multitude of programs and ministries organized and maintained by members, high levels of commitment and giving by members, seven-day-a-week activities at the church, contemporary worship, state of the art sound and projection systems, auxiliary support systems such as bookstores, coffee shops, and huge campuses of 30-100 acres.
Nearly all megachurch pastors are male, and are viewed as having considerable personal charisma. The senior minister often has an authoritative style of preaching and administration and is nearly always the singular dominant leader of the church. Supporting these senior pastors are teams of 5 to 25 associate ministers, and often hundreds of full-time staff.” (Source: Hartford Institute)
As a small church pastor, I unsurprisingly have negative feelings about satellite churches. In an article “10 Ways to Know Someone is Leaving Your Church” by Brian Dodd, number 10 is “A mega church opens a satellite location in your community. This is funny … but true.”
A satellite church looks like a church. There is a building and a parking lot that is full on Sunday morning. But it is really a church?
This is a very difficult question to answer. Are these congregations of believers in Christ members of the true Church, the body of Christ? Part of the answer hinges on what goes on at those churches. Is the Word of God properly proclaimed? Are the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper properly administered? It seems possible that from this point of view, a satellite church could be part of the true Church.
Another part of the answer, however, depends on whether these churches meet the Biblical criteria for a church. The Bible does not provide a manual for church organization, but some things are reasonably clear. The churches of the Bible are house churches: “Greet also the church that meets at their house.” “Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.” “Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.” A church building does not make a church.
These house churches were small congregations. Worship at these churches focused around the Lord's Supper. Church members actively participated in worship through preaching, teaching, praying, and prophesying. The churches were linked together through itinerant preachers and exchanges of letters.
The Biblical churches were independent bodies ruled by a council of elders. One of the elders, the pastor, might be given primary preaching and teaching responsibility and be paid for that work. Other members might be appointed deacons and were responsible for the poor and the sick of the congregation and the wider local community. By the standard of the Bible, we would expect a local church to have a pastor (preaching elder), a session (council) of ruling elders, and a diaconate. It is pretty clear that satellite churches do not meet the Biblical standard for a local church. Even more problematical is that their parent churches do not always meet this standard.
What are the implications of moving away from the Biblical model of the local church? In his article “The Multi-Site Church Model,” (http://www.cmaresources.org/article/multi-site-model_n-cole) Neil Cole identifies the following issues:
First, it communicates that church is a worship service with small groups attached.
Second, it seems to elevate the preaching of a sermon to the height of what church is about.
Third, it elevates one personality to the status of church leader in the only role that is not reproducible. This of course seems to communicate to all that this one person is the most important person in the entire church.
Fourth, it places a brand on the churches that are all connected to the network making a name for itself much like a business. Churches begin to carry a brand name more like a business than becoming a connected body of Christ.
Fifthly, it fosters a consumeristic mentality among Christians who can only be attracted by the bigger names and more entertaining speakers.
Finally, it is sometimes an attempt to own the churches in a given area….Basically, there really is a desire to have more followers, and keep the money in one account.
Satellite churches continue the trend towards active paid professional leaders and inactive passive church members. I was shocked to read an article by a big church pastor who was willing to promise to the little church being taken over as a satellite, that
· If you follow me, I will make your life better.
· If you follow me, I will care about you.
· If you follow me, I will take you where you cannot go on your own.
All this through the power of the Holy Spirit! I thought we were grown up enough to follow and depend on Jesus rather than other human beings. How far is this from the Apostle Paul! “One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 12-13). A healthy church develops active members who by serving one another make each other’s lives better, demonstrate care for each other, and encourage each other on the road to the Kingdom of God. Being overly dependent on professional leaders prevents church members from growing to be mature followers of Christ.
I personally believe that the worse characteristic of satellite churches is that they continue the trend of making church member passive consumers of religious products and services. This is about as far as we can get from the Biblical call for a church to be a place where all members of the body serve one another by the gifts of the Spirit. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:6-8)
In our lunch time discussion, when I opposed the conversion of small rural congregations into satellite churches, I was asked if I had a better alternative. My answer was that the congregation should close itself down, sell its assets, and give them to a ministry for the poor. In the early church, as John Calvin notes, whatever the Church possessed, either in lands or in money, was the birthright of the poor. Calvin approvingly quotes Ambrose, “He who sent the apostles without gold has also gathered churches without gold. The Church has gold not to keep but to distribute, and give support in necessity.”
In my view, the very idea of satellite churches is too worldly. Big churches would do better to help plant new independent congregations. And for a small church to become a satellite? As always, Jesus said it best.
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Dan
