The Future of Church History - Thoughts on a Helpful Post

I just read this post over at the 9 Marks blog. The article cites a section of a Church History book written 100 year from now. The author is attempting to look down the road at what the multi-site/celebrity pastor approach to church today is going to produce. Here is one section I thought was particularly stinging in it's assessment:

Gone were the days of the “ordinary pastor,” the man whose skills were not extraordinary, but sufficient to guide a ship with a hundred eternal souls safely through stormy waters to the distant shores. His sermons weren’t made for television. His music wasn’t good enough for the recording studio. Therefore, churches, feeling themselves entitled to professional excellence in all things, politely dismissed him, tore down the old buildings, built high-tech stadiums, and gave the league all-stars seven-year, multi-million dollar contracts.

Wow. I've never really thought about this in these types of terms. I too am concerned for the future of the church. It will be interesting how the podcast/conference/blog world is going to influence the way people think and practice ecclesiology. I'm having conversations with people now where they say, I can get good preaching anytime, therefore, I have other priorities I'm looking for in a local church. Is there not something significant still to the importance of the LOCAL church? Would this not have been a foreign idea in the first century? Fellowship doesn't come through chat rooms and message boards. There is something special about the presence of God in the midst of the corporate gathering where the ordinances are observed, corporate prayer is practiced, the Scriptures are read, and fellowship is enjoyed.

Podcast are great (I get a few myself), conferences are great (our church hosts one and I like to attend them) but we must understand these things are supplements. The local assembly must be the priority!!