High-Tech Circuit Riders

Seacoast is one of almost 1,000 U.S. churches to embrace a multisite approach, according to the Leadership Network (www.leadnet.org). Sometimes called a 'satellite' or 'franchise' model, going multisite is seen by advocates as one of the leading innovations of the 21st century and by critics as a sign that the church has sold out to consumerism—becoming just another big-box retailer, selling salvation with convenient hours and a discount price. The answer, as usual, lies somewhere in between.

Currently in the PCUSA there are about 17 models of how to do ministry without a full time seminary trained pastor. There are so many models because there are so many small rural PCUSA churches that can't afford a full-time minister. This is true for many small, rural churches. Could the multisite approach work in the rural church context?

Pros:
1. If the rural churches used a DVD the cost of the technology is relatively inexpensive (especially compared to hiring a full time seminary trained minister!).

2. Most people in a rural church have a lot of ownership in the church and would be able to facilitate the business of the church on a daily basis.

3. The church could hire a part-time pastor who is gifted in visitation and building relationships to meet the daily needs of the congregation.

4. The church would receive better teaching and worship than is common in your typical small rural church.

5. Partnering small rural churches with large mega-churches would open them up to the resources and opportunities that mega-churches provide.

6. Something similar worked once before in a rural setting: Methodist circuit riders

Roger Finke, a Penn State sociologist and coauthor of The Churching of America, 1776-1990: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy, sees a parallel between the multisite or franchise approach and the Methodist circuit riders of the 19th century.

"The Methodist circuit rider was basically the pastor for multiple satellite churches," Finke told CT. "They tried to start up satellite congregations as quickly and as cheaply as possible. When the circuit rider was not there during the week, the satellite had a class leader or layperson who kept things going. Then the circuit rider would come in every once in a while and fire people up."

Cons:
1. Would mainline churches (which dominate in the rural context) buy into this model of ministry and be willing to partner with evangelical churches currently using this model?

2. Would small town folks accept the video teaching as a replacement for a pastor?

3. Would the video teaching connect with rural people and their lives and issues? (Many illustrations that work in the city don't connect in the rural context because they describe events or places that don't exist in the rural context.)

4. Would it all feel too fake and phoney to rural people?

5. Would it all feel too distant, too coerographed, too professional for rural people?

6 Would it draw the unchurched in rural areas?

7. Is something lost in worship with videotaped preaching?

At the very least I'm tempted to give this a try next time I'm out of town. Maybe I could videotape a sermon and they could watch it when I'm gone. Then I could get feedback and see what people think.

Those are my thoughts. What do you think?