Celebrity Communicators

While recognizing that the vast majority of those engaged in "video venues" have, at their core, a passion for seeing people come to know, love, and follow Jesus, Bob Hyatt cautions in the cover story of this month's Next-Wave Ezine that "video venue franchises - prepackaged church-in-a-box" will lead to fewer and fewer men and women who ever learn to preach or ever get the experience of learning to work with others to discern what God is saying to their local body.

The Apostle Paul once referred to preaching as "foolishness" (and I've done my share of that), but he went on to say it was a tool that God has used to save those who believe (1 Cor 1:21 KJV).

While I can appreciate the quality of the worship experience and depth of training that these churches are able to provide, I insist that it should never become a substitute for the necessity of those who follow Jesus to continue the relational work of living out the gospel before those who are outside the Kingdom.