One Assembly: Rethinking the Multisite and Multiservice Church Models

by Jonathan Leeman

"Leeman's work was influential in our church's decision to move from multiservice to a single service."

--Ryan Kelly, Pastor of Preaching, Desert Springs Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Maybe you have been there: you're running late to church, and you know it will be hard to find an empty seat. This is an all-too-frequent experience in a growing church. For churches experiencing this dilemma, a common solution is to add another service or location. This seems like a cost-effective fix. Besides, no one wants to turn away non-Christians. But is it the best option?

Jonathan Leeman presents a series of biblical, theological, and pastoral arguments to help reorient our minds to a scriptural definition of church. He makes the case that maintaining a single assembly best follows the Bible, fulfills the Great Commission, and furthers our partnership with other churches.

Genres: Ecclesiology, Christian, Theology, Church, Nonfiction, Church Ministry, Faith

176 pages, Paperback

Published April 7, 2020

About the author

JONATHAN LEEMAN is the editorial director of 9Marks, which involves him in editing the 9Marks series of books as well as the 9Marks Journal. He has written a number of books on the church, including Reverberation, and he teaches theology at several seminaries. Jonathan lives with his wife and four daughters in a suburb of Washington, DC and serves as an elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington. You can learn more about him and his writing at www.9Marks.org.

Reviews

[Jared Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would behoove every pastor and ministry leader to read and wrestle with this book. The third chapter on catholicity in particular, whether you agree with Leeman's arguments leading up to it, is very important.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it: one book in multiple sittings. Seriously, it is superbly argued. Challenging and compelling.

[Brian Parks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was already convinced of Leeman's argument but the book makes the case quite well. Here's his argument in a nutshell... "Multisite and multiservice churches repudiate the Bible's definition of a church, redefine what a church is, and so reshape the church morally".

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet - if you're looking for a book on single-service vs multi-service/campus, this would be it. I found it especially helpful when Leeman argues from Matthew 18 and the important relationship between Jesus's presence and the people's gathering. His appendix 1, all the usages of ekklesia, is worth going back.

--

2nd time: It's so different reading it now.

[Samuel Kassing · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was left baffled by this book all at the same time.

To oversimplify I'll try and put this review in a few sentences. To be a church you must gather geographically and physically together. Therefore the multi-site and multi-service in Leeman's view isn't 'a' church as much as it is 'churches'. This is the thesis of Leeman's book. If you subscribe to a narrow baptistic understanding of assembly you'll find this convincing. If you don't you won't.

To a certain extent, I agree with Leeman. You're not a local church unless you're local and gathering. Now, I said 'local'. Leeman tends to conflate 'local', 'regional', and 'universal' categories at key junctures in his argument. The weakness of Leeman's book is his insistence upon a narrow definition of 'assembly' and only allowing exegetical arguments to influence his argument if they contain the word 'assembly'. The massive blind spot here is that he rules out Biblical, systematic, and even exegetical arguments that don't contain the word 'assembly'.

Here is the last thing I will say. I think Leeman is pushing in the right direction but there is probably an easier solution to the tensions he feels. Like becoming E-free, Anglican, Luthern, Methodist, or Presbyterian. He wants connectionalism without the institutional aspects. Even his push toward being more catholic at the end of the book is this exact argument.

I think this is a wonderful book and I'd highly recommend it.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Leeman’s critique of the multi-site model seems well founded, I found his arguments against multiple services less persuasive. His reasoning could equally lend support to the home church model espoused by Francis Chan in “Letters to the Church.”
The final chapter, A Church Should Be catholic, is really good.

[Daniel Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful. His chapter on the Church as catholic is amazingly helpful.

[Pig Rieke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away…ONE ASSEMBLY

In this book, Jonathan Leeman argues that multi-site and multi-service churches repudiate, redefine, and reshapes the Biblical mandate of a church. Positively stated, the Biblical assembling of a church will promote God’s glory, a church’s health, and its evangelistic witness.

Far from being a few verses here or there, Leeman challenges presuppositions and ideas about the church with the weight of Biblical witness on the subject. That said, the author is by no means attempting to rethink church rather his Biblical argument also corresponds to the historic norm of at least Congregationalists and Baptists from the 1600s onward.

To those who would read this book, consider as you read that Christ as the Good Shepherd of His flock has not only died for His sheep, but also has made provision to watch over them and direct them via His Word. Sheep have all sorts of ideas of where to find the best pasture, but we would do well to hear and follow the voice of the Shepherd.

[Christian Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book should really be retitled “Defining Ekklesia.” Ekklesia is the Greek word used for referring to “church” in the Greek New Testament. Leeman has a well thought out argument as he walks through the biblical reasons for a church to not be multi-sited. His argument is logical, but it does get somewhat muddled when he is discussing small groups. Nonetheless he does a spectacular job in arguing why churches should gather in one meeting place. The title can be a bit confusing, for he does not really mention multi-services, but focuses primarily on the multi-site side of things. He does make it evident that this is not something to divide over, but I would have appreciated a more thorough reasoning for not dividing over issues like this, for his arguments against other views seemed very uncharitable. I would recommend this book to those interested in this debate. For others, this book may be a waste of time.

[Parker Haines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Working through Leeman's book was an interesting experience for me. On the one hand, I deeply appreciate his careful thought given to how the structure of the church shapes the members' understanding of it. The medium is the message, and I found his argument that a multisite or multiservice medium communicates the idea that a church is an administrative system or performance deeply persuasive. He turns the screws on this point by highlighting how people will say things like "Did you make it to church today?" or "Wasn't church great this morning?" The way the word "church" is being used in these sentences reveals that certain people have imbibed the idea that "church" is synonymous with the things that happen on stage during the Sunday service. I found that argument powerfully persuasive and even convicting.

Throughout this book, I was nodding along to many of Leeman's arguments, and feel aligned with his final conclusions. Namely, The structure of our churches communicates our understanding of it, and a natural outflow of a healthy ecclesiology would be a structure with one assembly, in only one location. The book is jam packed with biblical wisdom and discerning pastoral insight.

That being said, I am ultimately unconvinced by Leeman's lexical argument concerning the word εκκλησία, which is a major supporting premise of his whole argument. In order to establish that those who would endorse a multiservice or multisite model are "picking a fight with Jesus," he spends nearly all of the second portion of the book picking a fight with Greek scholarship, BDAG, and a whole swath of New Testament Studies. He insists that the word εκκλησία always and every time refers to an assembly. In making this argument, he has some explaining to do, in light of verses that really seem to not use εκκλησία in such a way. For example, in Acts 8:1 Luke describes how Saul brought a great persecution upon "the church (εκκλησία) in Jerusalem." In order to make his argument work in this verse and in many other instances, Leeman has to argue that the Christians in Jerusalem and other ancient cities met in some large "one assembly" as opposed to the consensus understanding that there were many groupings of Christians in the early church that met in house churches. He also makes numerous appeals to the *classical* Greek definition of the word εκκλησία, which he argues is and can only be “assembly”. Of course, the New Testament was not written in the classical Greek period, but the Koine period. Using classical Greek definitions to define Koine Greek words is bad linguistics and honestly comes off as a bit dishonest.

Again, I walk away in a strange place. Unconvinced by his primary lexical argument, but agreeing with nearly all of his practical and pastoral applications. If I had to articulate my own conviction today, I would say that a one-assembly church model is a natural outflow of a healthy/biblical understanding of the church, and I would strongly advocate for it. However, I don't think the biblical data is clear enough to make the arguments that Leeman wants to make here.

[Salvador Blanco · Rating 5 out of 5]

The strongest argument against multisite and multi-service models.

Church order mattered to Jesus and it should matter to us. Read this and you will be challenged to believe so (06.20.21).


Second reading only revealed more clearly how well Leeman argued that multi-sites divide the church geographically, and multi-service, chronologically (18). He does solid exegetical work to show that a church is a people who regularly gather in one place (82). They also agree on the “who” and “what” of the gospel (55).
Appendix 2 was so well written, and it was fun to read having more knowledge of Greek than I did in 2021.

I find most people can’t seem to get on board with this argument. Perhaps we’d all understand the argument more clearly if we considered the biblical arguments and stopped to examine our own intuitions or assumptions about what a church is (30).

(10.20.23)

[Devin Moncada · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is worth reading twice, and it’s short enough to do so. Leeman challenged a lot of assumptions I had about what seemed “natural” for a church to do as it grew in number. I loved his high concern for following what the Bible says despite what may seem easy, and I especially liked how he challenged churches to promote and support other churches in the area. Leeman also addressed a lot of the practical questions I had if someone was committed to one assembly. I still want to think about the arguments for/against multiservice/site—whether the one assembly is biblically required or whether we are free to do as our conscience leads us—but it seems that people on both sides of the debate agree that while multiservice and multisite are different in degree, there’s a lot of overlap in how they define a church.

[Tanner Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no shame in saying this book was confirmation bias to me. I have known for a long time that multisite and multi service churches produce multiple churches underneath the banner of one “name” or “body.”

I have even said in the past that multisite churches cannot even be in friendly cooperation with the SBC because their churches are not autonomous. Their little kingdoms reflect that of Methodism and Presbyteries more than any type of Congregationalism.

I thought this book was fairly gentle considering the topic and common disagreements. The argument was solid. And the hidden gem of the work was the exhortation to be more “catholic” in our approaches to planting and partnering. Great read!

[David Omer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leeman makes the biblical argument for one site, one service churches instead of the multi-site multi-service model. His argument is compelling and convicting, it changed the way a look at the subject.

The content at times is very dense and the chapters are long so it’s not for everybody, but I would challenge every member of a local church to give it a read.

[Saolomon Mouacheupao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make assemblies assembly again

[Brady Boatwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but dense book that I found encouraging! Leeman is really smart, yet humble, understanding the biblical prudence in having a single site, single service congregation

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

"One Assembly" is Jonathan Leeman's attempt to call the contemporary church back to a biblical definition of "church." He argues that the word "church" in the New Testament, ekklesia, is best translated as "assembly." The implications of this are significant, as it reveals that multi-site and multi-service churches are actually multiple churches. Each "assembly" is its own church.

At first, this may seem to be a radical interpretation, as we've become so accustomed to referring to these multi-site, multi-service churches in the singular. But Leeman reminds us that is only a recent custom, and cannot be understood this way within the context of the New Testament.

Leeman pushes hard for one church as one assembly, and makes a very compelling case for it. The implications of this are massive for the contemporary church, as we've seen small churches dying as megachurches grow geographically and in the number of services offered.

This is an important word for the church today, and I commend Leeman's book.

[Jon Pentecost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Helpful exercise considering how polity can shape church intuitions. The introduction and chapter 3 (on catholicity) are worth the price of the book many times over. The lexical study of ekklesia in chs1 and especially 2 are persuasive to me. But I wonder if the emphasis on the definition of the word 'ekklesia' as an assembly/congregation misses the crux of disagreement among church leaders. In my mind the definitional question is important for the sake of avoiding confusion, but the moral question is what authority you understand church leaders to have. Can elders exercise authority over multiple congregations? It seems only congregationalists and Baptists with ecclesiology would object to that, while our multi-site brethren are simply adopting Presbyterian or episcopal views of church authority.

Well worth engaging and wrestling with, if simply to practice allowing careful consideration to shape your practice as a church, rather than only going with what works, or appears most strategic.

[C.J. Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! One of the best books I’ve read this year. Hopeful that it’ll be read not by those who agree with it but by more so by those who don’t. If you know a multi-site pastor, send it over to him to start a war. Maybe we will see a shift to catholicity and greater cooperation in the 21st century after all.

[Michael Abraham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leeman's section on catholicity was incredible, I'd encourage you to read the book just for that. But, he persuasively argues that multisite and multiservice church models are irregular occurrences that aren't found in the New Testament.

[Joshua Madl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am thoroughly convinced that a church constitutes the assembling of the saints. This model given to us linguistically and methodically in scripture is incompatible with the multisite/multiservice model. Great book, and we'll thought out.

[Adam Duell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. I was recommended this book by my brother a few years ago, and finally got around to reading it. Actually, just hearing my brother break down the basic premise of this book convinced me of the accuracy of Leeman’s arguments long before I actually read the thing. It was also a puzzle piece involved in my home church going back to one assembly, just earlier this year.

It’s short, by most measures, but is still what I would call a hyper-specific deep dive into the very specific subject matter.

Firstly, I have to say, if an introduction section ends up being 27 pages long, maybe just call that “chapter one.” After that, the first two chapters can be a bit of a slog, but it’s totally worth the work when you get to chapter 3: “A Church Should Be Catholic” (little-c “catholic”). This part ties and applies the preceding chapters together in a very inspiring and encouraging exhortation to look at the growth of the global church in a “new” way. New for Americans, at least.

It’s also worth at least a quick scan through the two appendices in the back. They include a good bit of stuff that Jonathan probably couldn’t find good places in which to shoehorn into the main body of the book.

[Thomas Duell · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more challenging and idea forming books I have ever read. This book changed my mind. One of the most influential ecclesiologists of our day, Jonathan Leeman has done the hard work of fighting an uphill battle against the overwhelming Western understanding of what constitutes a church. Leeman conducts an in depth survey of the word ekklesia (ἐκκλησία), examining what Jesus calls the church, and what method of practice the apostles kept in not deviating from the Lord's instruction. This is certainly only one side of the debate, but Leeman does a good job of showing that the burden of proof lies on multi-site and multi-service advocates to show how to arrive at their conclusions biblically. Winsome through and through, Leeman's tone is not attacking, but wholeheartedly challenging. The book is concluded with exciting vision casting for how churches can look outside of themselves and join together with other "sister" churches to reach their city and world. A must read for young pastors and seminarians who are forming an ecclesiology.

[Vincent Derr · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Jonathan Leeman lays out the case for a Church being one local assembly. This book reexamines the modern American impulse towards multiservice and multisite church models. In many ways this book soars. One Assembly is short, thorough, and well written. His arguments are compelling and biblical. Skeptics will find great value in the introduction and chapter three. His argument is at its best when he is engaging with the churches found in scripture. He carefully and concisely takes us to Corinth, Rome, Jerusalem, and many other locations to show us that as far as scripture is concerned a church is a singular assembly. Many reviews take issue with Leeman’s tone. He draws bright lines and is sarcastic at times. His repeated “picking a fight with Jesus” line is a bit much. I think Leeman is being a bit tongue in cheek. If you can handle getting poked, I think you can move past the potentially off-putting tone. The other major issue is that the book purports to take on multiservice churches, but it gets more of sideswipe. Multisite bears the full brunt of Leeman’s argument. Overall, I think this book is very good. I’m compelled by his argument. I just wouldn’t be so sarcastic, and I wouldn’t draw such a bright line.

4 out of 5

[Connor Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan Leeman is a stud…

This book delivers a thorough argument for the church to be a unique, gathering of local believers who have converted together and partake in the sacraments.

Though this book exists to argument against multicite/multi service church models, Leeman is charitable in his critiques, but unwavering in making a biblical case for the church to be ONE gathering.

This book is also very approachable for anyone. Though Leeman spends a lot of time doing a word study on Ekklesia (Greek for the gathering, it is not so technical as to scare anyone away.

Great book. Only giving 4 stars cause it probably didn’t need to be as long as it was to make the case.

[Derek Logsdon]

I reread this book to reconfirm my ecclesiological convictions and I’m always blown away by how strictly biblical Jonathan Leeman’s arguments are. His argument is that “Churches with multiple sites or multiple services repudiate the Bible’s definition of a church, redefine what a church is, and so reshape the church morally.” While I believe that it’s best that the church is to be “one assembly” for prudential reasons, Leeman makes a compelling case exegetically. I would encourage all pastors to read this book and embrace God’s discipleship plan for His church: elder-led Congregationalism in the context of the commitment to one gathering.

[David J. Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gently forceful polemic that reorients our pragmatic, market-centered conversations about how churches should operate around the biblical norm. Refreshingly ecclesiological in ecclesiologically shallow days.

[Parker McGoldrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phenomenal! Solidified my thinking in a single service church (which Leeman calls a redundant phrase), and more importantly added fuel to my fire of embracing a catholic posture as a pastor. How can we partner with other churches in the area, regardless of “brand”, denomination, name, etc. to love God and love others and live out Jesus’ commission? Why the territorial-ness and competition? We’re on the same team!

[Ben Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously I thought it was excellent.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Les deux premiers chapitres sont assez techniques. Le troisième chapitre est excellent. Si vous vous intéressez au sujet, commencez par lire le troisième chapitre. De manière générale, très bon livre pour montrer l'incohérence d'un modèle d'Eglise multisite/multiservice.