CBC Invades CHC Mission Field; Unity Suffers
Posted on September 28th, 2006 by Samaritan into the Uncategorized categoryWhile Catalyst is off training to compete against the PoliGrip® crowd in the Portland Marathon on October 1st, he's asked me to write a few blog entries for the disgruntled readership here, in exchange for his portion of the tithes and offerings given to City Business Church while he's away.
Not wanting to disappoint Catalyst (he'll have enough disappointment to deal with when he's passed by senior members of the AARP), I've been poking around the internet for relevant CBC and MFI-affiliate blog fodder.
One surprise for me was discovering the City Harvest Church web site, an MFI-affiliate in Vancouver, WA, pastored by Bob and Sue MacGregor - which is just 11 miles NW of the Ice Rink where CBC established their Vancouver satellite campus. Reformed Pope and Catalyst last blogged about the effect of the satellite campus on CHC back in November 2005 before CBC acquired the ice rink.
What puzzles me about CBC's expansion into CHC's mission field, is the MFI-Online Philosophy and Affirmations pages which include statements concerning the Autonomy of the Local Church, Unity and Diversity, and Church Planting and World Missions.
Specifically, these state:
One of the strong doctrinal foundations of MFI is its conviction that every local church is an autonomous organization. That means that each local church is to be self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating.
We believe that every local church should be inclusive and actively seek to include all peoples of all races, ethnic origins and social and economic standings.
We believe that the Church has been given the commission by Christ to go into the entire world with the message of the Kingdom in an attempt to bring all men to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We also believe that the result of this mission should be the establishing of local churches in every community in every country of the world.
How was CBCs decision to muscle their way into Vancouver in the spirit of unity with CHC, rather than just a selfish take-over / competitive spirit?
Now that CBC's move into Vancouver is a done deal, what effect has the move had on City Harvest Church, and pastor Bob MacGregor?
Can you feel the unity? 
Sam
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September 28th, 2006 at 7:08 am
You forgot Bob Isabell (Vancouver/Camas), Joel Hjerdstedt(Clackamas?), and Steve Trujillo (downtown PDX). All former CBC elders and MFI-affiliated pastors. It boggles the mind how in every case, each of these pastors had to leave CBC at the protest of PF and others to start their own churches in the Portland area, yet retain their MFI loyalty even when PF decides to expand CBC into their neighborhoods. I wouldn’t call that unity, I’d call it blind loyalty.
September 28th, 2006 at 7:17 am
I’m sure if we knew the “real” story, we would see the “protest of PF” was fake.
Christianity + MFI = Blind Loyalty.
September 28th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
You mean there aren’t enough people in Vancouver to share between the two churches?
September 29th, 2006 at 1:33 am
Odd, it seems that the whole satellite vision of CBC is in direct opposition to MFI’s philosophy of independant self governing local autonomous churches in every community. If I understand CBC’s vision to be one church and nine? locations, all being run by one head pastor and one group of elders. Doesn’t sound self governing to me but hey what do I know it is two thirty in the morning. Anyways, MFI may need to change their philosophy or maybe that is allready in the works because wouldn’t the satellite vision need to be OKed by MFI?
September 29th, 2006 at 6:48 am
Wow! What an insightful observation!
John, this has nothing to do with how many people need to get saved, it’s the tatics that PF is using to monopolize the church market in the Portland Metro area. Rather than raise up leaders to be pastors of NEW CHURCHES, he expands his control and influence via TV broadcasts. Your blog says you grew up an MK in Haiti. Wouldn’t you think it odd (at the very least) if PF set up a satellite church and broadcast his sermons via satellite to the Haiti church and the people never got to meet their “pastor”? Wouldn’t it be better to actually send a real-life pastor to work with the people there? Why is it OK if PF does it in a city? Are Portlanders (Vantuckians?) any less deserving of real pastoral care? Even more amazing is that people willingly attend these churches arranged by a self-ordained bishop of Portland. They think it’s cool to watch the 21st century televangelist from afar, rather than have a flesh and blood person who can develop a real relationship with them. Oh, and tithe to support this alleged ministry that finances it all.
September 29th, 2006 at 8:56 am
Well said FICM –this is the latest ‘fashion’ in the Christian –how to build a megachurch in 10 easy steps-world. Just look up ‘emerging church’ on the net and you’ll see these pastors blogging this idea to each other. If I learned anything in multi level days it was the way to build numbers and this is it–revisited - you work in many different areas because if one area falls down or isn’t producing the other ones would. At least we had the focus to raise up other leaders continually. I was shocked how not only was that not done in this MFI
church - it was prevented, thwarted and almost despised. If someone started
showing they had potential they could be quickly silenced and put on back row duty as punishment-so it all had to center around one person.
At least when i built my business I went there in person and didn’t make them watch me on a monitor. One time when our pastor was out of town we had to watch taped sermons–like no one else could deliver a message there.
It’s the cuture of Celebrityism in the church and they are on the bandwagon
to be Joel Osteen. All I ever needed to know in church I learned in Multi Level Marketing!
September 29th, 2006 at 12:01 pm
FICM, the original question was:
My point was that if there are plenty of people for churches to reach, I’m not sure selfishness, conquest, or competition have anything to do with it. Especially since Pastor MacGregor is on good terms with CBC, planning to teach a PBC class next semester.
You asked:
I would certainly think it odd, but it wouldn’t be the same as doing it in a city. First, CBC’s multiple campuses still get together for “Super Sunday” services. Second, the church has one eldership board. If they opened up a Caribbean campus, that would no longer be possible. I think people can still potentially receive good pastoral care under this model, too — if anything, the multi-campus model facilitates that process in a large church, bringing the church’s leaders and functions closer to people who attend but live far away from Rocky Butte.
For the record, I dislike the simulcast model and disagree with it on grounds not much different from Jeremiah Johnson’s. It’s a matter of how you view the nature and purpose of the local church and its relationship to the Kingdom of God. I don’t think Pastor Frank or CBC have selfish motives or a competitive spirit, though. I think Pastor Frank is at heart a frustrated evangelist who wants to reach more people in a largely unchurched city. While I disagree with his methods (I support more church planting and more leadership turnover - send out some of the quality elders you’ve built up at home, PF!), I don’t think I can legitimately impugn his motives.
September 29th, 2006 at 12:17 pm
John, we don’t do things legitimately here.
On a side note, I do appreciate your comments. It’s nice to hear from someone who feels free to disagree with some of the things CBC does while at the same time being supportive of their overall cause.
I certainly hope you are right.
September 29th, 2006 at 5:39 pm
For me, the satellite model is nothing more than a franchise in ecclesiastical trappings. The whole thing is almost too ridiculous to even begin to compare to anything remotely scriptural, not to mention that it reeks so extremely of capitalism that I think even Bill Gates would want a clothes-pin for his nose. Vomit.
I attended Bob Mac’s church a couple of times in the late ninties….it was a warm and pleasant place as I recall, warm and inviting, full of friendly people who noticed and greeted new faces, notably lacking in pretentious CBC-ness, a breath of fresh air. Those were its early days, and I tend to like churches in their nascent stages before things get too slick and organized, but I’d be willing to bet that CHC and CBC are still different enough to draw different crowds. Like Burgerville vs. McDonald’s……one is clearly the choice if you’re looking for flavor, and one is the choice if you’re looking for a brand-name. See what I mean about the capitalism thing?
And, just to drive the metaphor right into the ground, you’re still in some trouble if you’re a vegetarian.