Usually I have more than 2 cents of opinion to share on alot of things. But I’ll attempt to keep this short and sweet. As usual, I came across an article that taken by itself is pretty good on the issue of Multi-Site ministry versus Church Planting, written by a very well known church consultant and author. Read it here. He shares his concern as being:
While I’m all for multi-site churches as I attend one (Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, Texas), I’m concerned that they not replace church planting. While I have no research to support my view, it would appear that a number of pastors are opting for a multi-site approach over church planting. The problem with this is that most churches best reach a younger population not through a multi-site location but by planting churches. Many of today’s youth react negatively to the predominantly boomer, multi-site churches. They want to meet in smaller more intimate groups as seen in a growing number of house church plants. They want to belong before they believe. They want to check things out to see if church people are authentic: “If what you think you see (Jesus) is really what you get.”
My concern with this is that I don’t think Latino youth or Latino anything is open to the house church or church plant. I think Latinos are looking for the building, they are looking for the programming especially children and youth ministry. Start up churches with little or no budget (which most Latino start ups tend to be unless they went out sponsored by an Anglo organization or Momma Church) have little to no chance of attracting or if attracted keeping these folks in the church.
I know he was sharing about youth in particular but Latino youth especially those whose parents are from some other country have mental maps ingrained in them so much so that they are suspicious of anything that mets any other place than a “church” building. Just the other day I was talking to a Latino friend of ours who was saying a building is very, very important for Latinos like him because they can’t see how a space used for drinking, dancing, etc. can be used for holy things on Sunday. They don’t get the “we make it holy when we get there” concept.
This very thing is the reason many church start ups go against recommended advice not to “purchase” property for years down the road and purchase as soon as something is within their budgetary guidelines. I suspect that is the case not only down here in S. Florida but elsewhere.
What do you think?
