Multi–Church?

Analytic Reflections on the Metaphysics of Multi–Site and Multi–Service Ecclesiology

Abstract

Multi–site and multi–service ecclesiology has become common place in many areas over recent decades. This innovation has not been subjected to rigorous systematic or analytic theological thought. Therefore, this article subjects these ecclesiological variations to critique and finds them wanting. It offers four theological principles by which to analyze the nature of the church and determines that multi–site and multi–service churches fail to meet the necessary requirements for what is required of a numerically identical Protestant church. Therefore, it is metaphysically impossible for multi–site and multi–service churches to exist as the numerically same church. Each multi–site or multi–service entity is its own numerically distinct local church.