Driscoll’s Defense of Multi-Site Church Ministry

I watched the video regarding Driscoll’s reasons for Multi-site churches.  The talk was called, “Why Multi-Site?” (if you want to get the audio rather than video, click here).  It was given at the Multi-site Exposed Conference on April 15, 2008.  Here’s Driscoll’s defense of Multi-site church.  The numbers on the biblical reasons follow his talk, the other numbers for the historical, practical, and technical reasons are close to his numbers, but I’m not confident that they follow exactly his numbering.  Tomorrow I’ll be blogging my thoughts on his reasons and his definition of the church/ecclesiology.

“Why Multi-Site?” by Mark Driscoll

Biblical Reasons:

1. The NT epistles were written to networks of churches across cities (Philippi, Galatia, Corinth, Thessalonica – it is not one local congregation but cities with a network of smaller/scattered congregations [campuses as it were] and the letters were written to the church, this network of local expressions in a particular city)
2. There are general epistles like Timothy and Titus that are written generally to multiple churches within some sort of network of churches because it is written to various local expressions/congregations
3. The NT itself is a demonstration of leadership that is not necessarily local – which is a reason for possibly doing video. Paul writes letters because he is not present with the churches, or else he would not need to write the letter. He speaks to multiple congregations through the technology of his day, writing letters. (1 Cor. 5)
4. There are churches networked together throughout a whole region. Multiple churches in regions being spoken to simultaneously as a network (1 Peter).
5. 1 Cor. 9:20-23 – the most important text on contextualization – BY ALL MEANS – if a new opportunity comes, we need to consider it – I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel. To the Reformed who say you can’t do multi-site or video, Paul says “All means to save some.” What we believe should be unchanging, how we do it should be changing all the time. The open hand-closed hand analogy. There’s a big impetus in evangelism. Multi-site does not change Christianity, just a change in methodology.
6. The great commission – make disciples of all nations. This includes church-planting. Driscoll believes multi-site is an alternative new form of church planting. So based on the great commission which warrants church planting, multi-site is part of that.

Historical Reasons:

1. We have always had networks, denominations, that collaborate to work together. Multi-site is a new sort of network/denomination/movement sharing resources to be more effective for kingdom purposes. Driscoll believes networks have come along and larger churches become networks in and of themselves and is in many ways a cross-pollinating of denominations and networks.
2. This is not new. Multi-site is an updating of Methodism. Instead of a horse you have a screen (if you’re doing video preaching). There would be a senior leader functioning in apostolic way in that he has leadership influence over multiple churches where as a pastor has leadership influence over one church.

Practical reasons:

1. At about 80 feet from the preacher, the room is too big and the people are too far that they’d need to watch on a screen. Physically speaking, once the building is too far they need to see video. So why do they have to be in the same room? Isn’t that legalistic?
2. 60-80% of churches would benefit by being a campus of a healthy church. 3.5 thousand churches are dying every year. Wouldn’t it be better for them to be a campus and be revitalized. It could be the remedy for these dying churches.
3. Geographically – plant a church, not where they live, but where they play. This is a very mobile society and rarely pick it by location.
4. The campuses where Driscoll doesn’t preach live at give more and are growing faster. The people who commit to these campuses are in it for the mission, not to be where Driscoll is.
5. Name recognition – if they’ve heard of your church they might check it out.
6. It allows people to be better cared for – they get the benefits of the small church relationally at a campus and they get the benefits of the large church with central administration, resources, and specialization sent out to campuses. They are better cared for now at Mars Hill than when they were smaller.
7. It’s happening. It’s a God-thing. It happens, it works, people come. If God’s doing it, then we need to keep up with him.

Technical reasons:

1. There have been many adaptations in the church throughout the centuries (Pews in the 13^th century; 14^th century the organ was introduced in the church; 15^th century the printing press; 19^th century – electricity and audio microphones, 20^th century – loud speakers [differences between George Whitefield and Billy Graham], radio preachers, more screens in churches than theaters, the internet) – on the front end of innovation everyone’s critical at the back end everyone’s using it.
2. Communication has 4 things – instant, constant, global, and permanent. That’s true for critics and for the proclamation of the gospel.
3. Every church contextualizes. Where are you in the continuum? If you have pews, you’re on the cutting edge of the 13^th century. And so forth for organ, screens, audio, website, etc. Can you do more? Are you doing all that you can? All are contextualizing. The key is to name your year and name the year you would like to be.

Prophetic discussion (48:30):

1. Define what a church is, what a church is not, what a church does, and what a church does not do. Not everyone knows what the church is and what the church does.

2. Technological development of the internet will clarify the definition and function of the church in light of technological innovations

3. So:

a. Roman Catholic view of the church – (dispenser of grace – I didn’t pay attention to what he said)

b. Reformed – the preaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments. Others added church discipline (preach the word, see the word, defend the word). There’s at least an assumption of church leadership (which would add a fourth mark).

c. Acts 2:42-47 – a community of regenerate believers who did Acts 2:42. Before you do multi-site, do you even know what a church is?

d. Def – The local church is a community of confessing believers in Jesus Christ who obey Scripture by organizing under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, and scatter to evangelize and care for people everywhere. They observe the biblical sacraments of baptism and communion, are unified by the Holy Spirit for mission in the world, and discipline to live out the great commandment and the great commission to the glory of God.

e. Unpacking the definition– These are their 10 marks of the church

i. Jesus is the head of the church. If anyone gets the title senior pastor, make it Jesus. So if you die the church still has its senior pastor.

ii. The Holy Spirit is the source of regenerated life – that includes signs, w

iii. The Father is the object of glory

iv. There are qualified leaders who are ultimately responsible for the health and well being of the church. Will the campus essentially be a church or will it be an extension service? Mars Hill decided the former. Their leadership, accountability, and relationship is here (at the campus). The campus pastor is the first among equals leader. They want the leadership at the campus.

v. The Bible is rightly preached. The preaching leads the mission. Their community groups are like house churches. They are members of their local campus.

vi. Sacraments are rightly administered – Is there an online church campus? No.

vii. Discipline is rightly enacted.

viii. Worship is both gathered and scattered

ix. There is the great commandment – love and care on their campus

x. The great commission – the goal is to see more people meet Jesus.

Piper on Preaching (Video interview by Adrian Warnock)

I was really helped by this video as I continue to think about and seek to improve in preaching. John Piper usually preaches in such a way that I leave with a sense of God’s presence and glory, and what he says here is really encouraging to preachers who want to mediate meetings with God to the people in their preaching.

There are two other parts to this interview: part 1 and part 3.

New D.A. Carson audio MP3

New Carson Audio MP3 on justification and Galatians at a recent conference. (Clarus conference at Desert Springs Church)

• An Apostolic Disputation – and Justification – D.A. Carson
• Panel Discussion A - D.A. Carson and Michael Horton
• Two Mothers, Two Mountains – Michael Horton
• Justification/Righteousness and the Cross of Christ – D.A. Carson
• Panel Discussion B, Pt. 1 - D.A. Carson and Michael Horton
• Panel Discussion B, Pt. 2 – D.A. Carson and Michael Horton
• The Promise-Driven Life – Michael Horton
• Panel Discussion C – Michael Horton
• “The Ironies of the Cross” – D.A. Carson

HT: JT

D. A. Carson interviewed

Adrian Warnock interviewed D. A. Carson on a recent conference, the local church, and training pastors. See it here.

Jonathan Leeman’s key quotes from the interview:

• “The front line is the local church, and there’s a sense in which the seminary is a back up slot.”
• “The first impetus toward ministry and toward stamping people for what ministry ought to be ought to be within the context of the local church.”
• “A good seminary, a good theological college, helps to provide the kind of training, and further exposure, more technical knowledge, grasp of the language, this sort of thing, that virtually no local church can produce.”
• “Yet it’s really important for those who teach in such places, nevertheless, to be pastors first, because if they think of themselves as teachers and scholars first, then they tend to produce teachers and scholars. So there’s a stamping not simply from the course materials, but from your own values, what you think about, what you dream about.”
• “So at our seminary, we always hire a certain percentage of faculty who wish they were in the pastoral ministry or else, quite frankly, we don’t want them. Now, they have to be academically competent and all the rest. But we don’t want people who just want to be in a seminary.We want people who, in many ways, would prefer to be in the local church.”

HT: Church Matters (Jonathan Leeman)

Book I want to buy and read: New Testament Theology by Tom Schreiner

New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ is on sale for 38% off!  I’m really excited for this book!

“A magnificent achievement! Schreiner has combined the breadth and depth of his knowledge of the New Testament with extensive discussion of the scholarly literature. Best of all, it follows the New Testament in testifying to the majesty and glory of God.”
- Simon J. Gathercole, lecturer in New Testament studies, University of Cambridge

“Tom Schreiner’s New Testament Theology is a valuable addition to the field, providing to students the kind of overview that only a seasoned scholar can produce. The volume is particularly significant for taking a more thematic approach than have most other New Testament theologies. Schreiner therefore comes closer than most others to giving us a genuine New Testament ‘theology’ (rather than New Testament ‘theologies’).”
- Douglas J. Moo, Blanchard Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College

“Thomas Schreiner is known for being a skillful and careful New Testament scholar. In his New Testament Theology his abilities and his clear, concise style are on full display as he gives us a synthetic account of this complex subject, an account that reflects his high view of Scripture. This is probably the best New Testament theology written in the last several decades from a decidedly Reformed and evangelical point of view. While I disagree with the analysis at various points, it is still a fine piece of work, and I am happy to commend it.”
- Ben Witherington III, rofessor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary

“Schreiner’s New Testament Theology has long been awaited by colleagues, friends, and students. The appendix, which provides a helpful survey of the discipline of New Testament theology, and the discussion of justification, which contains a summary of the modern debate and a defense of a forensic interpretation of the Pauline teaching, are alone worth the price of the book.”
- Robert H. Stein, enior professor of New Testament interpretation, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Lucid, incisive, and above all devoted to listening to the text of the New Testament, Tom Schreiner’s volume is like a cool drink in a postmodern desert. Schreiner unfolds the richness of New Testament theology through the lens of salvation history, showing how fruitful the promise-fulfillment, already-not yet paradigm is for understanding the New Testament. If you want a New Testament theology that is informed, exegetically grounded, canonically based, Trinitarian, and written from the standpoint of a sturdy faith, then this is the book for you!”
- Donald A. Hagner, George Eldon Ladd Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary

“Scholars frequently focus so tightly on the details of the New Testament documents that they miss the big picture. On the other hand, all too often attempts to summarize the message of the New Testament ignore the particular expressions and diverse emphases of its twenty-seven books. Without losing the trees for the wood, Schreiner’s New Testament Theology offers a superb exposition of the New Testament’s central message, the glory of God in Christ. Pastors and students will find it an invaluable resource for answering the question most readers are asking: what is the New Testament about?”
- Brian S. Rosner, senior lecturer in New Testament and ethics, Moore Theological College

New (old) Carson audio MP3 on Biblical Theology

I had these on my post in a Windows Media format and now they are on MP3! These are lectures on Biblical Theology, though I think the first one listed begins with an exposition of Romans 3:21-26.

• The Cross and Christian Theology
• Open Questions on the OT in the NT
• Two Testaments, One Bible

Thanks to Ray Rishty and and James Steinbach.

To see all the Carson Audio I could find, click here.

Advertisement: Support this site by visiting Westminster Books. Even just clicking and visiting helps! It’s an excellent site for good Christian books.

I was there!

I’m glad to say, “I was there for that!” Though there were some things that cannot be blogged on which I didn’t write down to ensure I’d forget, there are some good things from that that I want to blog on later today.