The Case Against Multi-Site and Live-Stream Preaching in Modern Churches

Author: Pastor Dale

Churches today face many choices about how to reach and serve their communities. Among the most popular trends are multi-site churches and live-stream preaching. These approaches promise wider reach and convenience, but they also come with significant drawbacks that often go unexamined. This post explores why multi-site and live-stream preaching may undermine the core mission of the church and weaken the spiritual life of congregations.

A modern church auditorium showing empty seats and a live-streamed sermon on screen

Technology is Not the Problem

Technology is a remarkable gift from the Lord. Televisions, iPhones, cameras, projectors, recording software – these are all forms of advanced technology that the church ought to give thanks for.  While the church undoubtedly thrived in ages past, having no access to these modern conveniences, there is no questioning the usefulness of these electronic wonders today. There are endless applications for ministry: efficient communication methods, sermon preparation, prayer ministry, outreach, training and discipleship… The list goes on and on. Personally, I utilize technology for almost every aspect of my ministry as a pastor. I keep notes in my phone, I preach from an iPad, I send mid-week emails, all my sermons are recorded, and I text with church members every single day. God has given us these methods, and to whom much has been given, much will be required (Luke 12:48).

         I am not against the use of modern technology in the context of the local church. However, the rise of multi-site campuses and live-streaming sermons to various locations raises serious questions about Biblical ecclesiology. Technology is only as useful as it serves to help pursue Biblical principles. When those principles are compromised, technology is no longer being utilized as God intended. Paul Washer preached to a room full of musicians in 2007 and boldly stated: “whenever a music medium becomes more important than the truth it seeks to communicate, it’s useless.”^[1] The same applies to our use of technology in the church. When technology supersedes doctrine, it becomes useless.

^[1] “YouTube” 2025. Washer Sermon, 2007 Legacy Conference.

What is a Church?

So, what Biblical principles are in jeopardy in the context of a multi-site, live-streaming church? Three primary issues come to the forefront: the necessity of assembling, the nature of shepherding, and the nurturing of unity. These themes cannot be overstated in the writings of the New Testament. These ideas come down to the most basic definition of what a church is, what a pastor does, and how church members operate. This is fundamental ecclesiology.

However, this ought to be classified as a secondary doctrine in terms of universal agreement. There are many different flavors of the multi-site model, and not all of them are equal. This is not a personal attack on brothers and sisters who take a different approach toward the structure of their local church. Still, I am persuaded by the Scriptures that there is much more to be gained in following the blueprints of the New Testament model, down to the smallest iota. This is not about the usefulness of technology, but about the blessings of following Christ, who is the Head of the church.

The Necessity of Assembling

No one in conservative Christianity denies the requirement for believers to gather. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24–25, ESV). Multi-site churches take no issue with this command. But the question is: who are we assembling with? What makes a church a church? How do we know when we have actually met together in the confines of a local church? The Greek word ekklesia is what translators generally render as “church” in the New Testament. It literally means a “called out assembly.” This word is used two ways: sometimes referencing the universal body of Christ, all believers in heaven and on earth, (Matthew 16:18) and sometimes referencing a specific congregation that knows one another intimately (Matthew 18:17). The context of the passage will help us determine the best interpretation. However, based purely on the definition of the word, some assembly is required.

         The New Testament, after the resurrection of Jesus, is primarily about God’s promise to fulfill the great commission through planting local churches throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Every letter of the apostle Paul was written to a specific congregation in which all the members knew one another, they knew their elders, and they knew their purpose. They were called to be the visible representation of the church universal, covenanted together under the teachings of Christ, bound together in love for one another, making disciples together, gathering together as the Day draws near. They did not gather to a campus, representing a larger network of churches. Some churches met in houses, some met in Solomon’s portico, some may have had their own buildings; but they were known as individual churches with individual elders/pastors. Pastor Mark Dever writes, “The church is a people, not a place or a statistic. It’s a body, united into him who is the head. It’s a family, joined together by adoption through Christ.”^[1] When this family assembles, it is necessary that they know and be known by one another. In a multi-site context, the members simply do not assemble together in full. They do not know one another. They are an intentionally fractured family. The Bible shows us a better way.

^[1] Dever 2007.

The Nature of Shepherding

Along with the necessity of assembling, the nature of shepherding is also in jeopardy in the multi-site model. Pastors are elevated to dangerously high platforms, broadcasting their anointed sermons through a plethora of screens, reaching multiple cities or even states. No matter how good the preaching may be, the Scriptures lay out a specific set of standards for pastoral ministry. Peter writes to the elders: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:2–3). The most glaring portion of this passage, and yet so commonly overlooked, is the phrase “among you.” Shepherds need to know who their sheep are in order to care for them God’s way.

It is a fearful thing to be responsible to God for a mass of people that you have never met. Many mult-site churches do install a plurality of elders, or “campus pastors” in some cases, but these attempts still fall short of the Biblical mandate. Elders are called to shepherd the flock together, exercising equal authority, overseeing the same sheep. How can one preacher be a worthy example if he is not known by the congregation? How can he exercise oversight, if he is not present among them? How can he rebuke those who contradict sound doctrine, if he does not know what doctrinal errors are entering into the flock? It follows that if the church must assemble, the preacher must also assemble.

The Nurturing of Unity

Finally, I believe the multi-site model works against the nurturing of unity within the body. Sure, everyone hears the same sermon every week, following the same portion of Scripture from the same preacher. But it takes a lot more than a good sermon to bring sinners together and make them get along. Paul portrays the heart of a pastor in Colossians 1:

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:1–3)

First of all, Paul expresses what a labor it is to love people. He struggles for the church far away, longing to be with them and to see them face to face. Secondly, he describes the ultimate goal of their fellowship as encouragement and love, with their very hearts being “knit together.” And finally, he grounds all of this precious unity in the hidden treasures of Christ, who is their true solidarity.

         When a church decides to pursue a multi-site model, the leaders are intentionally dividing the people. Will the benefits gained offset the losses? I do not believe they will. It’s hard enough for a small nuclear family all living under one roof to get along from day to day. How much harder will it be for these separate congregations to act one body, knit together in love? Why not plant another church on the other side of town? Why not give them ownership of the Gospel, congregational autonomy, and Christ-centered partnership? Why should we insist on keeping everyone under the same brand name and asking them to submit to the same pastor who they will never interact with? The stakes are too high. We ought to feel Paul’s longing for this face to face intimacy, the kind of unity that Christ has purchased for His people.

         Pastor Dave Kiehn, of Park Baptist Church in Rock Hill, SC, records his own experience of church unity in his book, The Church: The Household of the Living God. At the end of every Sunday service, for the past 14 years, the members hold hands together and sing the Gaithers’ tune: The Family of God. Kiehn writes, “The church is my family. The people of Park are my spiritual brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers. As God’s family, we must order our lives in a particular way.”^[1] We must follow the Bible’s blueprints that we might nurture the church’s unity, God’s way.

^[1] Kiehn 2015.

Conclusion

God has given us incredible advancements in technology in our day. The Gospel has been preached through different forms of technology now more than any single preacher could possible achieve alone. However, we need to regularly ask ourselves, “just because I can, does that mean I should?” Expediency and modern conveniences must never dictate our behavior. The Lord has told us how we ought to behave in the household of God (1 Timothy 3:15). The necessity of assembling, the nature of shepherding, and the nurture of unity are the basic building blocks of a healthy ecclesiology. Technology is only useful to the Kingdom when these essential doctrines are rooted firmly in our identity. Jesus has promised to build His church, and He does not need the multi-site model and live-stream preaching to get the job done.