Global Mega Churches Taking Over Local Churches

[n david]

A couple years ago, Hillsong took over a local church which had multiple locations in the PHX metro.

I just found out Christ Life Church, which was founded by Jim Roam, and up until a few months ago was Pastored by Phil Goldsberry, has been taken over by George Morris' Gateway Church.

I was only half joking with a friend that soon all the churches around here will be bought out or taken over by either Hillsong or Gateway.

Is this happening anywhere else?

[RachelRose]

Originally Posted by n david

A couple years ago, Hillsong took over a local church which had multiple locations in the PHX metro.

I just found out Christ Life Church, which was founded by Jim Roam, and up until a few months ago was Pastored by Phil Goldsberry, has been taken over by George Morris' Gateway Church.

I was only half joking with a friend that soon all the churches around here will be bought out or taken over by either Hillsong or Gateway.

Is this happening anywhere else?

All I can say is what I see on the YouTube. There are several people that say this in fact is happening.

However I have a friend here at work; he listens to that goofy, head banging music all day long. He claims he is AofG but the music is crazy loud.

[Monterrey]

So just curious. How does one church take over another church. Both are non-profits 501 c 3, how does that work?

Did they have a corporate board meeting and elect to go with that fellowship? Did one buy out the assets of the other? How did it work?

[n david]

Originally Posted by Monterrey

So just curious. How does one church take over another church. Both are non-profits 501 c 3, how does that work?

Did they have a corporate board meeting and elect to go with that fellowship? Did one buy out the assets of the other? How did it work?

Not sure. Phil Goldsberry is now the "Discipleship Pastor" and his music minister, Chad Haymon, is the new "Campus Pastor."

The Sr Pastor of the Tempe and Scottsdale church is a young guy, Preston Morrison.

What's sad is while CLC didn't adhere to holiness, they still were oneness and believed the new birth. They sold out when Gateway took over. Now their statement of faith is full trinny and their plan of salvation is the sinner's prayer nonsense.

[CC1]

Originally Posted by n david

A couple years ago, Hillsong took over a local church which had multiple locations in the PHX metro.

I just found out Christ Life Church, which was founded by Jim Roam, and up until a few months ago was Pastored by Phil Goldsberry, has been taken over by George Morris' Gateway Church.

I was only half joking with a friend that soon all the churches around here will be bought out or taken over by either Hillsong or Gateway.

Is this happening anywhere else?

Instead of being taken over by a megachurch our church just became a megachurch itself. To this point we have only "taken over" one church and it was at their request. It was a church in a neighboring county in a small town. Church ran about 30 people with a nice building that seated around 150. Pastor was elderly and wife had died a few months before and he was struggling. Within a couple of months (before the official launch date of the new church) it was running over 300 folks. We are planting our second church in another neighboring community later this year or beginning of 2019.

I was surprised to hear this about Phil and Christ Life. Phil and I are friends but don't really keep in touch but every few years. He was an asst. pastor at Christ Church here in Nashville and should have been the pastor once Pastor Hardwick retired but had left to pastor Christ Life when Dan Scott came back on staff.

[Michael The Disciple]

So Oneness Churches are being taken over by Hillsong?

[1ofthechosen]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

So Oneness Churches are being taken over by Hillsong?

They had to let them take over. Because they could buy our church building but the church wouldn't stay with that building. The church would move. That's why compromise is so bad, because you allow the devil in and he wants to take over! He don't want just to fellowship, he wants to take the building, and then take over the body!

[n david]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

So Oneness Churches are being taken over by Hillsong?

No. The church which "merged" or whatever with Hillsong was not a oneness church.

The church which "merged" or whatever with Gateway Church was founded by Jim Roam and was oneness and new birth, but not holiness the last I visited a couple years ago.

[n david]

Originally Posted by CC1

Instead of being taken over by a megachurch our church just became a megachurch itself. To this point we have only "taken over" one church and it was at their request. It was a church in a neighboring county in a small town. Church ran about 30 people with a nice building that seated around 150. Pastor was elderly and wife had died a few months before and he was struggling. Within a couple of months (before the official launch date of the new church) it was running over 300 folks. We are planting our second church in another neighboring community later this year or beginning of 2019.

I was surprised to hear this about Phil and Christ Life. Phil and I are friends but don't really keep in touch but every few years. He was an asst. pastor at Christ Church here in Nashville and should have been the pastor once Pastor Hardwick retired but had left to pastor Christ Life when Dan Scott came back on staff.

I liked Goldsberry's message "Life in the Dash."

I was surprised this happened, too. Also surprised that Haymon is the campus Pastor in Tempe. CLC had a location in Casa Grande, but it appears Gateway closed that location and started one in Scottsdale.

[Originalist]

Originally Posted by CC1

Instead of being taken over by a megachurch our church just became a megachurch itself. To this point we have only "taken over" one church and it was at their request. It was a church in a neighboring county in a small town. Church ran about 30 people with a nice building that seated around 150. Pastor was elderly and wife had died a few months before and he was struggling. Within a couple of months (before the official launch date of the new church) it was running over 300 folks. We are planting our second church in another neighboring community later this year or beginning of 2019.

I was surprised to hear this about Phil and Christ Life. Phil and I are friends but don't really keep in touch but every few years. He was an asst. pastor at Christ Church here in Nashville and should have been the pastor once Pastor Hardwick retired but had left to pastor Christ Life when Dan Scott came back on staff.

Soul's Harbor in Belleview, FL recently annexed the UPC church in neighboring Dunnellon. Same sort of scenario exactly that you described. You made me do a double-take.