LTRP Note: The following article by Christianity Today is in no way an endorsement of Christianity Today, a Christian magazine that has lent strong support to the “new” Christianity. This article is for informational and research purposes only.
Mars Hill Church is coming to town.
Pastor Mark Driscoll’s megachurch recently announced plans to expand into Portland, Oregon, and Orange County, California, using multi-site campuses that feature live bands and a sermon piped in from the main campus in Seattle.
The move is part of a trend among megachurches to extend their brand of church to new communities, in hopes of reaching unchurched people with the gospel. But critics fear the out-of-state campuses turn churches into franchises like McDonald’s or Starbucks. . . .
Bob Hyatt, pastor of the Evergreen Community in Portland, agrees that people in his city need to hear about Jesus.
But he has some doubts about Mars Hill’s method, which seems to him more like corporate expansion than church planting. “If you are a church planter in Portland, it’s a bit like reading the notice that Wal-Mart is coming and you are the mom-and-pop store,” he said. Click here to continue reading.
