Multi-Site Church Revolution : Being One Church in Many Locations

by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Warren Bird

• ISBN13: 9780310270157
• ISBN10: 0310270154
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-06-01
• Publisher: Zondervan

Summary

Fueled by a desire to reach people for Christ, a revolution is underway. Churches are growing beyond the limitations of a single service in one building. Expanding the traditional model, they are embracing the concept of one church with more than one site: multiple congregations sharing a common vision, budget, leadership, and board. Drawing from the examples of churches nationwide, The Multi-Site Church Revolution shows what healthy multi-site churches look like and what motivates congregations to make the change. Discover how your church can - cast a vision for change - ensure a successful DNA transfer (vision and core values) to its new site - develop new leaders - fund new sites - adapt to structure and staffing change - use technology to support your worship services You'll identify the reasons churches succeed and how they overcome common snags. The Multi-Site Church Revolution offers guidance, insights, and specific action steps as well as appendixes with practical leadership resources and self-diagnostic tools. "I wholeheartedly recommend this book for any pastor or church leader who needs to know the pertinent issues, tested solutions, and real examples of multi-site strategies that are currently being deployed around the world." -Ed Young, senior pastor, Fellowship Church "The authors have done their homework. They have firsthand knowledge of the successes and failures of this movement, having been networking with and facilitating dialogue among churches across the country for years." -Max Lucado, senior minister, Oak Hills Church "Look no further than this book to propel your ministry to Ephesians 3:20 proportions: exceeding abundantly above all that you could ever ask or think!" -Randy and Paula White, senior pastors, Without Walls International Church

Table of Contents

Foreword	7	(2)
Erwin Raphael McManus
Preface: A Prediction for the Future	9	(6)
Part One: The Birth of the Multi--Site Movement
You Say You Want a Revolution?	15	(11)
Meet several highly successful multi--site churches
A Wide Variety of Models	26	(19)
Notice the broad range of models in this overview of the multi--site movement
Part Two: How to Become One Church in Many Locations
Would It Work for You?	45	(15)
Consider why your church should explore multi--site as a strategy
On a Mission from God	60	(11)
Discern God's call for your church and leadership
Opportunity Knocks	71	(13)
Don't expect ``We've always done it this way'' to become your church motto
Selling the Dream	84	(12)
Learn how to use effective vision casting, helpful language, and strategies field trips
Who's Going to Pay for This?	96	(15)
Discover how to do multi--site in ways your church can afford
Launching the Mission	111	(14)
Evaluate these common factors in the successful launch of a second location
Part Three: What Makes Multi--Site Work Best
Hitting the Sweet Spot	125	(8)
Make sure to define and replicate your unique DNA with help from these ideas
Designing the Right Structure	133	(9)
Learn to grow at multiple locations by modifying the way you staff, structure, and communicate
Building Better Leaders	142	(21)
Experience success by emphasizing the role of campus pastors, developing the next generation of leaders, and promoting from within
Leveraging Technology	163	(10)
Find the right balance of technology, whether you use in--person teaching or video
Avoiding Detours	173	(12)
Learn important lessons from churches that--have taken wrong turns or hit roadblocks
Part Four: Why Extend Further and Reach More People?
Secrets of Ongoing Replication	185	(10)
Don't let your dream stop short of developing an entire movement of replicating campuses
Where Do We Go from Here?	195	(6)
Be part of turning the tide in a battle being lost by current approaches to doing church
Appendix A: Internet Link for Multi--Site Toolbox	201	(1)
Appendix B: International Multi--Site Overview	202	(2)
Appendix C: Directory of Multi--Site Churches Cited	204	(5)
Acknowledgments	209	(2)
Notes	211	(4)
Indexes	215	(7)
About the Authors	222

Excerpts

The Multi-Site Church Revolution
Copyright © 2006 by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Warren Bird
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Surratt, Geoff, 1962 –
The multi-site church revolution : being one church in many locations / Geoff Surratt, Greg
Ligon, and Warren Bird.
p. cm. — (The leadership network innovation series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-27015-7
ISBN-10: 0-310-27015-4
1. Church facilities — Planning. 2. Church management. I. Ligon, Greg, 1962 – II. Bird,
Warren. III. Title. IV. Series.
BV604.S87 2006
254 — dc22
2005034544
CIP
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1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, copyright
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Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene Peterson
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Scripture quotations marked NKJV in this publication are from the New King James Version. Copyright
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Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible: New Living Translation, copyright ©
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The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites
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Interior design by Nancy Wilson
Printed in the United States of America
06 07 08 09 10 11 12 • 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
You Say
You Want
a Revolution?
Meet several highly successful
multi-site churches
These men who have turned the world upside down have
come here also. — ACTS 17:6 ESV
It is coming . . . a movement of God. Some even call it a revolution.
On Sunday morning at Seacoast Church, where I (Geoff) serve on
staff in Charleston, South Carolina, a band launches into a hard-driving
worship chorus as lyrics and background images are projected on
screens and television monitors throughout the auditorium. Everyone
begins to sing along with the worship team.
This describes the experience at many contemporary churches,
except that this scene happens eighteen times each weekend in nine
locations around the state, all of which are known as Seacoast Church.
Using many different bands and worship leaders, Seacoast’s eighteen
nearly identical weekend ser vices represent the look of a church that
chose not to fight city hall in order to construct a bigger building.
We instead continued to reach new people by developing additional
campuses.
At another church across the country, a congregation just north of
San Diego sings “How Great Thou Art” in Traditions, one of six venues
on the same church campus. North Coast Church in Vista, California,
developed six different worship atmospheres, all within a few feet
of each other. Traditions is more intimate and nostalgic, while other
venues range from country gospel to a coffeehouse feel to vibrating,
big subwoofer attitude.
The elements unifying these six on-site venues are the message (one
venue features in-person preaching, and the others use videocasts)
and the weekly adult small groups, whose discussion questions center
on the sermon that everyone heard, no matter which venue they
attended. North Coast has now developed multiple venues on additional
campuses, so that on a typical weekend in early 2006, worshipers
chose between more than twenty different ser vices spread across five
campuses.
Over in Texas, Ed Young Jr., senior pastor of Fellowship Church
in Grapevine, preaches every Sunday morning on four campuses
— Grapevine, Uptown Dallas, Plano, and Alliance — all at the same
time. Ed delivers his Saturday night message in person in the main
sanctuary on the Grapevine campus. It is videotaped and viewed the
following morning by congregations at the other venues via LCD
projectors and giant projection screens, framed by live music and a
campus pastor. “We decided we could reach more people and save a
huge amount of money by going to where the people are and doing
smaller venues instead of building a larger worship center in Grapevine,”
Ed says.
In downtown Chicago at New Life Bridgeport, a small church meets
in a century-old former United Church of Christ facility. The pastor,
Luke Dudenhoffer, preaches a sermon that he’s worked on with up to
ten other pastors across the city. Each pastor leads a satellite congregation
of New Life Community Church, which is known as one church
in many locations.
At Community Chris tian Church in Chicagoland, eight different
drama teams perform the same sketch at eight different locations.
Then up to three different teachers deliver a message they’ve developed
collaboratively. Most ser vices have an in-person preacher, though
some sermons are videocasts.
These churches, and more than 1,500 churches like them across the
country, are discovering a new model for doing church. Going beyond
additional ser vice times and larger buildings, churches are expanding
into multiple venues and locations, and many of
them are seeing increased evangelism and even
exponential growth as a result. The approach
of taking one church to multiple sites seems
to be the beginning of a revolution in how
church is done in North America and
around the world.
When four university computers were
linked together for the first time on something
called ARPANET in the fall of 1969,
there was very little press coverage of the event.
Aside from the scientists working on the project, no one considered
this event revolutionary; it was just an adaptation of concepts that had
existed for many years. In spite of such simple beginnings, ARPANET,
known today as the Internet, has revolutionized almost every aspect
of our lives in the twenty-first century —

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Excerpted from The Multi-Site Church Revolution: Being One Church in Many Locations by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, Warren Bird, Surratt
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