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     At present, I am aware of three congregations among the churches of Christ that have developed a multi-site arrangement for church government.  The first churches to form this type of governmental arrangement were the Highland Oaks church and the Pitman Creek church.  The Highland Oaks church is located in the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas and the Pitman Creek church is located about 14 miles away, in Plano, Texas.  The merger will result in a congregation that shares a common staff, eldership, treasury and vision, but be located in two different places (see the Christian Chronicle, One Church, Two Locations, by Erik Tryggestad, February 21, 2008).
     Another multi-site church was developed in the fall of 2008 by the Southwest church in Jonesboro, Arkansas.  The minister at the time was Jimmy Adcox who called the congregation a “hybrid, multi-site, church plant.” The church started a separate worship service on the campus of Arkansas State University, a school of about 12,000 students three miles from the church building (Christian Chronicle).
     The third multi-site church is located in Michigan.  The Rochester church of Christ in Rochester Hills, Michigan launched a multi-site arrangement in March, 2008 when they developed a new site at Mohawk Elementary School in Macomb, Michigan.  The new group is under the oversight of the elders at Rochester and share the same staff, mission, and treasury.  Patrick Mead is the current evangelist at Rochester and does double duty between the two locations (check out the web-site for the Rochester church of Christ–www.rochestercoc.org). 
     Several observations concerning this new development among churches of Christ is in order.  First, we must ask before we implement any type of new organizational structure for the church, “Where is the Scriptural authority for doing this?”  In the apostolic age, each congregation was autonomous (self-governing).  Elders and deacons were appointed in each local congregation (Titus 1:5).  The wisdom of this arrangement is seen in that there is not a concentration of power in a few men who rule over many churches.  Also, it prohibits the rapid spread of error by forcing each congregation to test new doctrines by measuring them against the truth before accepting them.  Listen to the testimony of Mosheim as recorded by J. W. Shepherd in The church, The Falling Away, and the Restoration, page 56, “During a great portion of this century (second) all the churches continued to be, as at first, independent of each other, or were connected by no consociations or confederations.  Each church was a kind of small, independent republic, governing itself by its own laws, enacted or at least sanctioned by the people.  But in the process of time it became customary for all the Christian churches within the same province to unite and form a sort of larger society or commonwealth; and in the manner of confederated republics, to hold their conventions at stated times, and there deliberate for the common advantage of the whole confederation.”  These conventions developed into synods and church councils.  The laws agreed upon in these councils were called “canons” or “rules.”  A marked departure from the truth began by changing the organizational structure of the church which led to the change in the source of doctrine for the church.  Churches were now governed by synods and councils and not the Word of God.  In regards to apostasy, there must always be a first step!  Second, we see the audacity and arrogance of men who believe that they have devised a better organizational system for the church than what God has ordained.   Man’s good intentions do not trump obedience to God. This lesson is clearly taught in I Samuel 15:22-23, “Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”  Saul disobeyed God by keeping sheep alive for sacrifice rather than utterly destroying them as God commanded. Saul was rejected by God because he rejected the Word of God.  Will our church leaders reject the Word of God too!   
     A change in church organization without Scriptural authority to do so is a usurpation of the authority of Almighty God.  It can only lead farther away from the truth.
     (Update: 4/23/2009.  The satellite of the Rochester Church of Christ known as Christ Church: Macomb held its last service Jan. 25, 2009.  It continued to meet on the campus of Rochester College through February and then disbanded).

     “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44).  Jesus gives the chief identifying characteristic of Satan–he is a deceiver of the hearts of men.  One of Satan’s most important methods of operation is to attempt to imitate the work of God and pass it off as the real thing.  Satan attempts to counterfeit God’s work. 
     Counterfeits are imitations of God’s work.  Can Satan duplicate God’s work?  In Exodus 7:8-12; 22-23, the magicians of Egypt were called upon to duplicate the miracles of God.  They duplicated the miraculous transformation of Aaron’s rod into a serpent (Ex. 7:10) by enchantments.  Enchantments refers to secret magic arts or trickery.  They used sleight of hand to deceive people (including Pharaoh) into thinking they had great power.  In fact, they did not possess any power.  They also duplicated the miracles performed by Moses of turning the water into blood (Ex. 7:22) and the plague of frogs (Ex. 8:7).  Keep in mind that these performances were only tricks, magic, and not a demonstration of any real power.  In Ex. 8:18, we are told that the magicians of Egypt attempted to duplicate the plague of lice, but failed.  Their ingenuity falied them!  They did not duplicate any of the remaining plagues either.  There is a limit to Satan’s ability to duplicate all that God can do. 
     Counterfeits are inferior to God’s work.  The magicians of Egypt made their rods turn into serpents.  Aaron’s rod, changed into a serpent, consummed their rods (serpents).  God demonstrated His superiority over them.  The magicians were completely powerless to take away any of the plagues wrought by the power of God.  This is a tremendous distinction between their fakery and God’s power.  God’s power brought the plagues and God’s power removed the plagues.  The magicians failed to match the scope of God’s power.  They were forced to admit the “finger of God” (Ex. 8:19).  “Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.”  Pharaoh’s own magicians admitted what he refused to admit: that God’s power was superior to their tricks.
     Counterfeits inspire evil men to greater evil.  The magicians imitated some of the work of God.  The result was that Pharaoh’s heart was further hardened in unbelief.  Counterfeits of Satan produce unbelief in the hearts of men and cause them to reject the true God.  Pharaoh’s unbelief led to the destruction of Egypt and ultimately to his own life. 
     We must love the truth and reject all lies of Satan.  Whenever we carefully compare the work of Satan to the work of God, we can discover a real difference.  We must reject fakes and invest in the true work of God. 
     There is an important application of this lesson to the discovery of true religion in our world today.  How do we distinguish false religion from true religion?  How can we know the difference between the true church and false ones?  The church of the New Testament has indentifying marks that set it apart from all others.  The church of the New Testament was established on the first Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:1, 47).  It began in the city of Jerusalem (Isa. 2:1-4, Acts 1, 2).  Jesus built the church (Matt. 16:16-18) and died for it (Eph. 5:23-27).   Multitudes became members of the church by believing the Gospel proclaimed by the apostles, repenting of their sins, and being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38).  The church continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42) and worshipped and served God.  The church is made up of men and women who have responded by faith to the message of the Gospel and have obeyed the Lord’s commands (Matt. 28:18-20).  We can be a part of the New Testament church by following the teaching and example of Jesus Christ.  When we do so, we become a part of the church Jesus built and died for–the church of Christ.