Tim Keller, my hero...

(Tim) Speaking of honor to whom honor is due, I was very pleased yesterday with Tim Keller's expressed distaste for video worship. In the piece that ran on the front page of USA Today yesterday (I guess that's how you say it?) concerning multi-site megachurches, he was profiled and several times given the opportunity to sign on to the world of video-worship-sermons inhabited by many, but most sadly our dear brothers John Piper and Mark Driscoll.

He demurred, and because of his demurral I'm proud to be PCA. Seriously.

Thank you, Tim Keller.

Now, if someone will just write a jeremiad against the corruption of the church and worship and pastoral care these idolatrous video screens are solidifying among us, I can die in peace.

* * *

And while I'm commending Tim Keller, here's a helpful article he did a couple days ago on the role doctrinal criticism has in our sanctification. It's a good read, pastoral and quite true.

Comments

[Kevin]

Yeah, but . . .

Keller is still contributing to the problem through his multi-site, four-sermons-a-day, run-out-the-door-when-my-work-is-done style of leading the church.

One of the more telling lines in the piece comes from one of Keller's congregants, where she says, "We're just not looking for that kind of relationship with a pastor anymore. Today, it's all about a personal relationship with God, not the culture of a church. And a megachurch or a multisite church can still offer this. If you are there to hear a message and it's a powerful one, it shouldn't matter how it's delivered."

The "kind of relationship" that she's not looking for is a personal relationship where you are known by those pastoring you. How can Keller give due diligence to his work when he does not know those sitting under his preaching week after week.

While I appreciate his eschewing of the prevalent multi-site church model which uses video screens to simulcast the sermon to other "campuses", this model of pastoring is dangerously close to a legitimized form of "Lone Ranger" Christianity.

[Mason]

Wow, I thought I would never see a positive post about my pastor on the Baylyblog, but here it is. I suppose you might delete this comment, but I want to praise you for your post nonetheless. I commend you for commending a man with whom you often disagree...

[Tim Bayly]

Dear Mason,

Being of two minds, I'll leave your commendation up and wish you a very merry Christmas, brother.

[Kevin Cassidy]

Other Kevin - While I appreciate your comment and note that it is often an important aspect of church community, would we level this same criticism against John Wesley, who traveled ~250,000 miles and preached "more than 40,000 sermons", including 3-4 a day, or Whitefield for his 18,000?

Just wondering if our criticism of one aspect of a ministry is starting to infect other parts that may sometimes have merit.

[Sue McKeown]

I realize that Rev. Keller is trying to preach to as many of his flock as he can every weekend, and I commend him for this (and that he hasn't resorted to using video recordings of his sermons at their satellite locations).

But as "Kevin #1" pointed out, the parishioner interviewed seems to not understand what she is missing. Meeting in rented locations is fine (IMHO) for a new church plant or while damage to your church is being repaired, but do you really have the same fellowship with each other when you only have a makeshift worship space for a few hours a week? And who is there for pastoral counseling, hospital visits, pre-marital counseling, administering the sacraments, and the like. Is this the role of Rev. Keller's associate pastors? Is there a Christian Ed. program at each site?

I pray this works out for them; OTOH, our church's constitution says that once we go over 700 members, we will plant a daughter church (which will bring its own challenges, too).

[Chris Hutchinson]

Yes we certainly can criticize Wesley and Whitefield for cultivating the cult of personality which helped turn classical Protestantism into evangelicalism with all of its attendant faults... not that the Great Awakening was all bad. Not at all. But let's not be historically naive. There is always a mixed bag accompanying great success this side of glory.

We are about ready to plant a daughter church ourselves and the thought of dual siting is certainly a possibility. But I just can't get myself to rush out the door. It's not my vision of what a pastor does. Having said that, I do believe that Keller is a genuine pastor. He is no fake. He just has about 5 times more energy than I do. And his plan is to eventually turn these 5 sites into 5 separate churches less and less dependent upon him, unlike most mega-churches which are all about the Sr. Pastor celebrity dude.

Oh, and on that jeremiad against video-celebrity-power-worship-mega church thing, I think its been done: Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.

FWIW, Chris Hutchinson

[J Pilgrim]

Up is down, left is right. I don't know how to make sense of the world anymore.

...

You'll probably delete this comment.

[Joel Linton]

There is a difference between a visiting preacher -- Whitfield who traveled all over the place (like an itinerate missionary) -- versus a multisite pastor.

[chuck p]

I personally would not attend a multisite video church (we have one in our community). I do however, understand peoples desire to hear sound preaching and teaching which is so often missing in our society. If Tim Keller can meet that need and bring Christ to New York City than more power to him.

[Denver Todd]

How bad is bad? How much bad goes with good before good is bad? Redeemer is multi-site, but they at least don't do video. A church in my city is good, but they have woman elders. Some churches have great fellowship and lousy theology. Others have great theology and lousy community. So, if you have to pick one over the other, how do you rank all these options?

[Terry]

My son and his family attend the main campus of pipers church so I have an opportunity to attend Bethlehem at least 1 time a year.

I like to go to the service that Piper is taping so I can see the man preach. There is a human element lost on video, a connection I can not explain.
If I want to see a video I can watch it on the internet.

To me a multi site church is better served with a Pastoral rotation, where one of the pastors preaches a 3 or 4 week series and then goes to another site and preaches there.

[Ken Pierce]

Good post, Tim.

My dear friend Chris Hutchinson makes some good points.

Let me point out, however, that the Great Awakening was not all about itinerant ministry. Most of the New Lights were in settled pulpits --the names of many of whom are lost to history.

Samuel Davies, for instance, was an itinerator, but the work he did led to many churches being planted. In other words, he did the spade work, and others came after him, and engaged in the settled ministry.

The Reformed movement suffers because, unlike Wesley, we are not out in highways and hedges, going where we are not wanted, and proclaiming Christ to those who may be loath to listen.

In short, works of God's Spirit go through phases. It seems to me that Tim Keller is being faithful, and also looking to the future.

[scottw]

@Kevin: Let's not be too quick to pin the statement from someone in Keller's congregation on Keller. (1) How many of us have congregants that say stuff that is in no way representative of our own views? (2) You don't think it's possible that the USA Today writer or editor may have fished through a bunch of interview quotes to make the story spin a certain way?