ONE ASSEMBLY

Rethinking the Multisite and Multiservice Church Models

Jonathan Leeman

wheaton, illinois

One Assembly: Rethinking the Multisite and Multiservice Church Models

Copyright © 2020 by Jonathan Leeman

Published by Crossway

1300 Crescent Street

Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Dan Farrell

First printing 2020

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-5959-4

ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-5962-4

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-5960-0

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-5961-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Leeman, Jonathan, 1973– author.

Title: One assembly: rethinking the multisite and multiservice church models / Jonathan Leeman.

Description: Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2020. | Series: 9Marks | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019036101 | ISBN 9781433559594 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781433559600 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433559617 (mobipocket) | ISBN 9781433559624 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Multi-site churches. | Church.

Classification: LCC BV637.95 .L44 2020 | DDC 254—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019036101

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

9Marks exists to equip church leaders with a biblical vision and practical resources for displaying God’s glory to the nations through healthy churches.

To that end, we want to see churches characterized by these nine marks of health:

1 Expositional Preaching

2 Biblical Theology

3 A Biblical Understanding of the Gospel

4 A Biblical Understanding of Conversion

5 A Biblical Understanding of Evangelism

6 Biblical Church Membership

7 Biblical Church Discipline

8 Biblical Discipleship

9 Biblical Church Leadership

CONTENTS

Series Preface

Special Thanks

Introduction

1 A Church Is the Geography of Christ’s Kingdom

2 A Church Is an Assembly

3 A Church Should Be Catholic

Appendix 1: New Testament Uses of Ekklēsia/“Assembly”

Appendix 2: Does Acts 9:31 Refer to a Regional “Church”?

Anne Rabe

General Index

Scripture Index

SERIES PREFACE

The 9Marks series of books is premised on two basic ideas. First, the local church is far more important to the Christian life than many Christians today perhaps realize.

Second, local churches grow in life and vitality as they organize their lives around God’s word. God speaks. Churches should listen and follow. It’s that simple. When a church listens and follows, it ...

Content not shown in limited preview…
OA:RMMCM

About One Assembly: Rethinking the Multisite and Multiservice Church Models

Many churches are switching to the multisite or multiservice models to manage crowded sanctuaries due to growing attendance. This solution seems sensible in the short term, but too often churches adopt this model without taking into consideration what the Bible says about it. Illuminating the importance of physical togetherness as a way to protect the gospel, this book argues that maintaining a single assembly best embodies the unity the church possesses in Jesus Christ. Jonathan Leeman considers a series of biblical, theological, and pastoral arguments that ask us to stop and examine intuitions or assumptions about what a church is. He reorients our minds to a biblical definition of church, offering examples of churches that have thrived with a single service at a single site and compelling alternatives for those looking to solve the complications that come with a growing church.

Support Info

oneassembly

Table of Contents