Satellite churches with onscreen pastors

The latest in megachurch trends:  Doing without a pastor, except on streaming big screen video:

A new church was born Sunday morning, but, like an increasing number of congregations, it has no preaching pastor.

In what has become one of the most popular church growth methods across the country, a large white screen unfurled in front of the stage with the preacher’s image projected on it, preempting the live sermon and the pastor’s physical presence.

Welcome to the satellite church, a 21st century phenomenon that owes its success to advances in technology. These days, instead of starting new congregations, churches are reproducing the successful ones, franchise-style. . . .

Over the past five years, nearly every megachurch in the Triangle has done the same. Hope Community Church in Raleigh, Cleveland Community Church, or C3, in Clayton, and the Summit Church in Durham – all have at least one satellite location where the pastor’s message is recorded and then streamed live or hand-delivered on a DVD to an ancillary site where it’s screened for a different audience.

Though there are varying methods to the satellite concept, they share many of the same characteristics. Each satellite has a live praise and worship band and a local “campus pastor” who makes announcements, leads in prayer and tends to the needs of the congregants throughout the week.

But the heart of the service – the sermon – is given over to the big screen.

via Growing church opts for tele-communion – Religion – NewsObserver.com.

Why doesn’t everybody just stay home and watch it on their computers.  Think how mega such a church would be, with a congregation unlimited by location, space, or time.  Actually, I believe that is being tried.

Does anyone here go to a church like that or been to one?