A multi-site church is a specific
church congregation
A church (or local church) is a religious organization or congregation that meets in a particular location, often for worship. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by clergy or lay leaders, ...
which holds services at multiple geographical locations, either within a specific metropolitan area or, increasingly, several such areas.
Characteristic
A multisite church is a local church that has other campuses in various locations within the same city or in different cities. Within the multi-site approach, both the primary location (usually the one with the largest physical attendance) and the offsite locations will commonly have their own music worship and announcements pertaining to that congregation. The
sermon
A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present context ...
is mostly given by an on-site pastor, while in some churches it is broadcast via video from the main location. The different campuses share physical and financial resources.
History
The first church to become multi-site was
Highland Park Baptist Church in
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...
in 1942. In 1990, there were 10 multisite churches the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. In 2014, there were 8,000 multisite churches. According to a 2015 Leadership Network study, 37% of multi-site church campuses were autonomous churches that merged with another church. Some multi-site churches have also established campuses in prisons. A study by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research,
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) is an American financial standards association representing Evangelical Christianity, Christian parachurch organization, organizations and churches, which qualify for tax-exempt, nonpro ...
, and Leadership Network published in 2020 found that 70% of American
megachurches
A megachurch is a Church (congregation), church with a very large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities. Most megachurches are Evangelicalism, Evangelical, although the term denotes a type of organization, not ...
had a multi-site network.
Criticism
American Professor Eddie Gibbs on Church Growth at
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an Evangelical seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature.
Fuller has a student body of approximately 2,300 students from 90 countries and ...
, criticized the model of the video sermon broadcast in some multi-site churches for the lack of relationship between the pastor teacher and the faithful at each site, which would lead to messages less adapted to the reality of each campus.
[Bob Smietana, Rebecca Barnes]
High-Tech Circuit Riders
christianitytoday.com, USA, August 31, 2005
See also
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Bishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
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Megachurch
A megachurch is a church with a very large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities. Most megachurches are Evangelical, although the term denotes a type of organization, not a denomination. A megachurch draws 2 ...
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Satellite campus
A satellite campus, branch campus or regional campus is a campus of a university or college that is physically at a distance from the original university or college area. This branch campus may be located in a different city, state, or country, ...
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List of megachurches in the United States
This is a list of the largest megachurches in the United States with an attendance of more than 10,000 weekly, sometimes also termed a ''gigachurch''. According to The Hartford Institute's database, approximately 50 churches had attendance ra ...
References
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