Why I’m Not a Fan of Satellite/Video Venues

1) Increase the distance between the senior leader and the congregation.

2) I didn’t use the word pastor in #1 because generally in these settings the senior leader is not really pastoring anymore. He is a CEO and communicator. Satellite/video settings only promote this and the most spiritual guy in the community is now a rock star. Not a servant (maybe he is but this is not generally the perception). A friend pointed out to me recently that from his study…never before in history have people held the power that mega-church (often extended to satellites) pastors have. They stand up weekly and speak to hundreds/thousands and have leverage in their spiritual direction. They hold huge amounts of power in these peoples lives and there is no way to know them all. Really big deep relationships rarely extend beyond the staff. Which finally gets me to #2 -It is my opinion that good teaching, has to be grounded in relationship. Without the relationship, without the wrestle, the talking head is just another motivational speaker.

3) The Bible loves shepherds. Jesus even identifies himself as the good shepherd? And remember…”Feed my sheep.” Shepherding is an unbelievable metaphor for what it means to pastor a group of people. The vocation is leading, sleeping with, feeding, protecting, fighting for, nurturing, giving aid to, watering, chasing after (it goes on & on). All of that to say: YOU CANNOT SHEPHERD SHEEP FROM A DISTANCE. The sheep know the voice of the shepherd…the one who is with them in the field. The “hired hands” their motivations are often (not always) not pure. Remember Jesus’ model. Walking with small groups of people but darnit there’s not much glamor in that.
4) Satellite venues say to the congregation: That one person is the best! He’s awesome! I wonder if I can really talk to him? (especially if you are a new believer) Shane Hipps has done some very interesting work on how we approach the people on the screen. On these monsterous HD screens, they are today’s larger than life statues and they become unapproachable. I wonder what the hologram things will do? How will they make congregations think about their senior leaders?
5) Satellite venues, at least the ones that I’ve seen, do not grow up other teachers well. They have a tendency to be drive in drive out & it is hard to form deep relationships around them which are a must when editing young leaders. Generally the service happens because “the guy” is so good people need to hear him.
6) Or they happen because everyone else is doing them.

7) I drive by a number of venues that LARGE amounts of money are being paid to either own or lease then their maintenance and keeping it cool. I mean LARGE amounts of money and you never see anyone in them during the week. At least if we are going to spend all this money and say that “church” is all about the gatherings, use the buildings multiple times a week. This is not always the case. Some venues are cranked up and people are in and out all of the time but in my experience they are the minority.
I’ll stop with here even though I have a few more. Satellite campuses say that Christianity is all about the event. We buy/rent space to put on something that you people didn’t have and it is so much cooler than the other places. Don’t mind the “shepherd” being on the screen because if you were there with him you would watch the screens anyway and you’d never meet him there are too many people. Ever heard those two before?

Hmmmmm. Maybe don’t use screens for people magnification (image magnification is a little less indicting) and maybe the church is to big if people can’t know their shepherd.

Satellite venues are perfect for drive through church. Let me go; I’ll make sure the kids are entertained well; they hear about Jesus and I can check “God time” off the list and feel good about being a believer. (stopping again as this is not the point of this post.)

My biggest beefs are #3 (for pastors) and #8 for community setup. Jesus never setup billboards that he’d be doing “Jesus Shows” at 5, 7, & 11! Bring a friend! No he lived in and among people in close relationships and walked with them. We are miles…miles away from what he left us to do and satellite campuses may be the climax of this movement.

If you cannot deal with sarcasm do not read this post ’cause this one is probably gonna get me in trouble but oh well. I really think this it’s worth it.

I am no fan of satellite venues (by this I am pretty much exclusively referring to venues that are majority video teaching from another/home/main campus). In a very succint form, here’s why.

1) They increase the distance between the senior leader and the congregation.

2) They offer teaching that is not contextually based (to the viewers) and that is usually very generic and safe. I really believe after 12 years of doing it,  that good teaching…I’d say the best teaching, has to be grounded in relationship. Without the relationship, without the wrestle, without the accountability, the talking head is just another motivational speaker or hollow voice.

3) YOU CANNOT SHEPHERD SHEEP FROM A DISTANCE.

4) Satellite venues say to the congregation: That one person is the best! He’s awesome! He’s so huge on that screen, I wonder if I can really talk to him? I mean he’s so good they movie him in from somewhere else.

5) Satellite venues, at least the ones that I’ve seen, do not grow up other teachers well.

6) They often happen for personal kingdom expansion or simply because everyone else is doing them.

7) I never see anyone in the venues during the week. At least if we are going to spend all this money and say that “church” is all about the gatherings, use the buildings multiple times a week. This is not always the case. Some venues are cranked up and people are in and out all of the time but in my experience they are the minority.

8 ) I’ll stop with here even though I have a few more. Satellite campuses say that Christianity is all about the event.

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My biggest beefs are #3 (for pastors) and #8 for community setup. Jesus never setup billboards that broadcasted that he’d be doing “Jesus Shows” at 5, 7, & 11! Bring a friend! No he lived in and among people in close relationships and walked with them. We are miles…miles away from what he left us to do and satellite campuses may be the climax of this movement.

(get longer explanations of each reason here.)

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Oh Yeah…why Jack? So here’s my original thought: if church is all about the event, if it is all about us getting people there so they can hear the best message possible, then are churches with the money to do satellite venues being poor stewards by not hiring actors to deliver their teachings? I’m serious (kinda) but run with for a second. It could look like…

The CEO/Communicator/Theology guy who struggles to have time to prepare anyway, simply writes the talk or copies it from one of those website or from another church. He then gives it over to an actor who delivers the message on Sundays. This could be big time! That’s it. That’s the system.

Imagine Denzel, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Tom Cruise…well maybe not Tom Cruise, speaking at your church. Samuel L. Jackson could be there when we’re raising money or talking about sin and Harrison Ford is leading the businessmen’s breakfasts. Women are not invited and can have their own as their are guy things we need to talk about that they shouldn’t here.

And speaking of the ladies…we have to have a Beth Moore so that will be Jennifer Aniston no maybe Tina Fey. Sorry Angelina, there’s probably not a spot for you. But Brad, he’s the wild & crazy hired gun ultra cool youth speaker. And all of a sudden all the moms will want to volunteer for youth events. Johnny Depp, well he’s leading the rehab services.

Somewhere there is a little hipster vibey postmodern place where Robert Pattison is teaching. I would go to George Clooney’s church. It’s just kinda cool, classic, well dressed & better than your church but then after not feeling connected or not getting my needs met I’d leave without telling anyone & start attending Jeff Bridges’ really laid back campus. Every Sunday he wears a glowing Tron suit while sitting on the floor talking about how the IKEA rug really ties the room together…man. And BTW, did IKEA give every church a set of those white paper stand up lights as a Christmas gift or something?

OMG we could hire Beiber for the students. And on and on and on…I think this idea has legs

I know I’m really being sarcasting…really but where we are going with the so called mission is really scary at times. We see our selves as so different than the cathedral builders of the past and maybe we’re missing that we are doing the same things. Just with better technology & building materials with less character.

In so many ways, we have so missed the boat and if the above happened, I would not be in the least bit surprised. It might actually make even me go to a video venue.

Peace ~