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Episode 528: Challenges Multisite Churches Face During COVID

Sean Cronin — Sat, 26 Sep 2020 09:00:24 +0000

by NewChurches.com: In Episode 528 of the NewChurches Q&A Podcast, Daniel and Todd discuss the dilemma that many multisite churches are facing.

“There seems to be a common question between my multisite friends. We have two locations and they are both meeting at schools and because of COVID we have shrunk back to one location and we are doing small outside services. Likewise, even some of the very large multisite churches are closing locations and collapsing them back to their sending campus. Do you think that this is permanent given renting from schools will likely change, and, if so, what can we do to build momentum when conventional growth metrics are free-falling? FYI, we do online and get pretty solid engagement and reach, It’s been great to reach this new audience, but how do we make sure that we don’t leave our established people behind. Thanks for the steady hand in difficult times.”

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

What challenges churches that rent their meeting space are facing
How churches can continue to connect with established members

Shareable Quotes (#NewChurches):

“I’ve talked to several churches whose schools are already telling them they can’t meet there.” – @toddadkins
“Someone may be attending your small group, but they are attending a different church online in the morning.” – @toddadkins
“There are going to be a lot of church planters, house churches, and smaller churches that come out of this.” – @toddadkins
“With the economy being the way it is, and how COVID has affected it, sooner or later there are going to be businesses who want the rental income.” – @danielsangi
“I do believe that multisite is still a valid and valuable strategy alongside church planting.” – @danielsangi
“What our city needs is healthy, thriving, growing, and multiplying churches that are reaching the lost.” – @toddadkins
“You can’t forsake or neglect the in-person or real life phone call or shoulder tap.” – @danielsangi

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The post Episode 528: Challenges Multisite Churches Face During COVID appeared first on NewChurches.com – Church Planting, Multisite, and Multiplication.

Source: Episode 528: Challenges Multisite Churches Face During COVID

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Episode 478: Launching a Downtown Campus

Sean Cronin — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 09:07:33 +0000

In Episode 478 of the NewChurches Q&A Podcast, Daniel and Todd discuss launching a campus in downtown.

“What advice would you give me to launch a campus in the downtown area of my city?”

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Why knowing what parking is available is vital in a downtown location
When the right time is to add a second service

Shareable Quotes (#NewChurches):

“What you really need to figure out is if this downtown is one where people live, play, and eat, or are they just working there.” – @danielsangi
“Know your zoning, know your ordinances. Do a serious parking study.” – @toddadkins
“If you are lucky enough to be near a metro, that is an amazing asset.” – @toddadkins
“One of the things you have to be careful of, and train people on, is the importance of being a good neighbor.” – @toddadkins
“We trained volunteers that after they are done handing out promotional materials is to go around and picking up any cards that people discarded.” – @toddadkins
“I want to be careful about adding a second service and splitting the momentum.” – @toddadkins
“This is a quick visual win if we start with one service and there are so many people you have to start a second service.” – @toddadkins

Help us Multiply the Mission:

This Episode’s Sponsor:

For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.

The post Episode 478: Launching a Downtown Campus appeared first on NewChurches.com – Church Planting, Multisite, and Multiplication.

Source: Episode 478: Launching a Downtown Campus

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Outside the Box Multisite Church Launch

Sean Cronin — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 10:00:06 +0000

Home > Blog > Outside the Box Multisite Church Launch

Outside the Box Multisite Church Launch

By Bryan Rose

If becoming a multisite church, or adding another campus, is on your vision-radar right now, chances are you are primarily thinking in terms of Sunday morning worship. Most multisite church expressions initially begin with a weekly service. And, in most cases, the worship service is a natural and necessary way to most effectively reproduce your culture across campuses.

But what if multisite was less about your worship venue and more about your missional engagement? Best practices of the past do not automatically create highest effectiveness in the future.

As a strategic outsider focused on vision alignment, here are two outside of the box approaches to launching a multisite campus that I am seeing churches consider before beginning a worship service.

Serve First

Starting with missional engagement allows immediate impact in the target area. The Serve First model tilts the investment scale toward leading people over assembling equipment. Immediate return with this campus launch model is meaningful activity in the community and the creation of opportunities for the core team to live the mission right away.

Groups First

Another church is beginning to meet regularly and grow as disciples in smaller gatherings. Instead of waiting for worship services, group members invite neighbors and friends into fellowship and life-change in the neighborhood. Allowing the notion of “campus” to be decentralized into homes, versus concentrated in a building, a felt 7-day presence is immediate.

Both of these approaches to multisite campus development naturally bring the necessity of developing leaders to live on mission, as opposed to recruiting volunteers to accomplish a task. Corporate gathering for worship and teaching can still occur, but with the freedom to do so in non-standard times and other-than-weekly rhythms.

As multisite churches numerically move beyond the 5000 milestone of 2012 and exponentially toward the next horizon, innovative approaches to reaching people and replicating DNA beyond the Sunday morning service will continue to develop.

How are you thinking about multisite outside the box?

Source: Outside the Box Multisite Church Launch

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Episode 454: The Difference in Multiplying and Reproducing

Sean Cronin — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 10:00:06 +0000

by NewChurches.com: In Episode 454 of the NewChurches Q&A Podcast, Daniel and Todd discuss what multiplication looks like.

“Is there a difference between multiplying and reproducing?”

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

How multiplication becomes a movement
Characteristics of a movement

Shareable Quotes (#NewChurches):

“True multiplication is when you launch campuses who launch new campuses while they continue launching new campuses.” – @danielsangi
“If we were to reproduce today, we might get to multiplication tomorrow, but we will never get to movements unless we get to multiplication.” – @danielsangi
“Movements are made up of multiple churches multiplying themselves.” – @danielsangi
“Multiplication is contagious.” – @danielsangi
“Part of the reason people don’t get to addition, let alone multiplication, is a self-preservation or a defensive posture versus an offensive posture.” – @toddadkins
“In most areas there are plenty of people to win to Jesus, so rather than focus on how to keep people, it begins with your people catching the vision for the Great Commission.” – @toddadkins
“If you want to grow your church, you have to grow your people. Your people have to grow in spiritual maturity.” – @toddadkins

Recommended Resources:

Listen to the 5 Leadership Questions podcast
Read 1,000 Churches free e-book
Read Multiplication Today, Movements Tomorrow free e-book
Listen to the Group Answers podcast

Help us Multiply the Mission:

The post Episode 454: The Difference in Multiplying and Reproducing appeared first on NewChurches.com – Church Planting, Multisite, and Multiplication.

Source: Episode 454: The Difference in Multiplying and Reproducing

The post Episode 454: The Difference in Multiplying and Reproducing appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Episode 444: A Church Plant Asked to Become One of Our Campuses

Sean Cronin — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 10:00:00 +0000

by New Churches: In Episode 444 of the NewChurches Q&A Podcast, Daniel and Todd discuss how to handle a church plant who is asking to become one of your campuses while also maintaining their autonomy.

“I have an interesting church dynamic question. Our church and leadership are very kingdom-minded and have a potential opportunity to launch one, possibly two, church campuses in the next twelve months. Here’s the twist: these campuses would launch under a different name. They are essentially current church plants that have approached us about becoming a campus with a live communicator/lead pastor at that location. We are working through the dynamics of what that would look like (financially, systems, etc.) and was curious if you knew of any other churches who are doing similar things. This is new territory and there is a lot to play at here. Any help would be greatly appreciated.”

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Issues you need to be cautious of
What a residency model and a multisite-to-plant model look like

Shareable Quotes (#NewChurches):

“There are some things to be careful of: is this a financial issue? what’s their worth ethic like? what’s the culture they’ve created and does it fit with your culture?” – @toddadkins
“If they want to keep their own church planters and names, then bless them, but don’t make them your campuses.” – @danielsangi
“This is going to cause you to lose momentum in your church.” – @danielsangi
“You could make a network for your city.” – @toddadkins
“A residency model is allowing the church planter to get his feet wet while also allowing him to build a launch team within the church.” – @toddadkins
“Are they going to be able to submit to your authority and whatever authority you submit to?” – @toddadkins
“I would be careful that they are looking for a handout instead of a hand up.” – @toddadkins

Additional Resources:

Listen to The One Thing Podcast

Help us Multiply the Mission:

This Episode’s Sponsor: Blackbaud Church Management connects your staff and congregation, ensuring deeper relationships and effective ministry. To see how to connect your church community with one holistic system, visit hello.blackbaud.com/blackbaudchurchmanagement.

The post Episode 444: A Church Plant Asked to Become One of Our Campuses appeared first on NewChurches.com – Church Planting, Multisite, and Multiplication.

Source: Episode 444: A Church Plant Asked to Become One of Our Campuses

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Episode 439: Should I Pursue Using a Declining Church’s Building?

Sean Cronin — Sat, 23 Nov 2019 10:00:52 +0000

by NewChurches.com: In Episode 439 of the NewChurches Q&A Podcast, Daniel and Ed discuss how a church planter should approach a declining church about a merger.

“My name is Bart and I am planting a church in Sarasota, FL. We are currently renting the building that we meet in every Sunday morning. I hear of churches that are shrinking in size and may not make it much longer allowing growing, and possibly newer, churches to use their building, and possibly even take it over. Is there a way to lovingly pursue an option like this? I know of a couple of churches in the area that can seat over 100 and yet have less than 30 in attendance each week. Or would it be better to just keep doing what we are doing and not pursue using another church’s building?”

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

The best way to approach a church about a merger
Why relationship is important

Shareable Quotes (#NewChurches):

“Part of the challenges is that he is in the position of asking which changes the dynamic.” – @edstetzer
“The church planter goes to talk to the regional leader and asks them to talk to the church about this and then the potential conversation can begin.” – @edstetzer
“The sponsor church is supposed to ask out the new church plant.” – @edstetzer
“The multisite thing has created suspicion in people’s minds.” – @edstetzer
“Begin relationships with other pastors in your city, not because you want their building, but because you want to pray together and reach the city together.” – @danielsangi
“Intentionally build these relationships with other pastors in your city. They are not your enemies.” – @danielsangi
“Build together. Work together. Pray together. Who knows what God is going to do in the future.” – @danielsangi

Additional Resources:

Listen to the Ask Me Anything Podcast
Read Better Together by Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird
Read Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age by Ed Stetzer
Watch Collaboration and the Surge Network [Behind-The-Scenes]

Help us Multiply the Mission:

This Episode’s Sponsor: What lies ahead for Christians around the world? Len Sweet outlines over 25 rings of fire facing the church and how we can walk in faith through this volcanic future. You can get your copy of Rings of Fire at Navpress.com. NavPress is the publishing arm of The Navigators and provides the latest and classic resources for discipleship and Christian growth.

The post Episode 439: Should I Pursue Using a Declining Church’s Building? appeared first on NewChurches.com – Church Planting, Multisite, and Multiplication.

Source: Episode 439: Should I Pursue Using a Declining Church’s Building?

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Planting With the Intention of Multiplying

Sean Cronin — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 10:00:51 +0000

Home > Blog > Planting With the Intention of Multiplying

Planting With the Intention of Multiplying

By Ed Stetzer

Today, I want to dive deeper into a few questions that new churches typically ask: If I’m a new church, should I plant another church? Should I wait and let my own church develop? What if my church doesn’t feel ready because we’re so new?

The short answer to these questions is, “Yes, you should still be involved in church planting, even if you are a new church.”

The longer answer to these questions first requires a Star Trek reference. In the popular episode “The Trouble with the Tribbles,” the crew interacts with tribbles, these cute little animals that reproduce at a rapid rate. As soon as one is born, it reproduces and creates another tribble.

The tribbles get into every crevice of the station and eventually overwhelm all of the crew members. They’re eating the food that belongs to the crew, they’re disrupting work, and they’re causing chaos. At one point, Dr. McCoy says to Jim Kirk, “They’re born pregnant.”

Planting Pregnant

This points to the idea of planting pregnant. If we were to define planting pregnant, it would be the process of planting a new church despite still developing your mother church.

Although we use a metaphor to describe it, it’s actually more of a missiological mission than a metaphorical picture. Church planting is something that all churches should prioritize because, when done correctly, it furthers the Kingdom of God.

Now, I understand if your church is apprehensive about sending 30 of its 60 members out into a new church. That’s completely understandable. But some thought and attention should be given to church planting by every new church. There are small ways to be intentional about planting, even from day one.

Starting Early

Not too long ago when I planted a church in Nashville, we stood in front of our very first service and the people at this first service probably had no idea what to expect of our new church. Still, we got up in front of everyone and told them that we were going to be a church planting church. We told them that we would be involved in planting, despite the fact that they had no idea what our new church would look like. We were already thinking of planting a new church within a year.

In fact, we took an offering for the church that we had dreams of planting; 100% of the offerings at our first service went towards the establishment of the church we’d later plant. We did not raise enough to fully fund a church planter, but we raised enough to lay the foundation for planting.

From the Beginning

Church planting was a value for our church at the beginning, and I think it should be for every church plant.

When we started our church, we made it our goal to plant one new church every year. That didn’t work out perfectly—it took us two years to start physically planting churches—but by having our minds set on planting, we were able to devote attention to it as our church developed. The plans that we made for the life of our church included details of planting. We gave attention to it because we knew that it mattered.

Church planting was never lost in the shuffle, and we never forgot that it was a priority for our group. It was something that our church committed to, even when we were unable to see the promise that God had called us towards.

We had no idea what a new church would look like when we laid the foundation to plant, but by prioritizing church planting, we eventually saw that new church come to life.

Making Planting a Value from Day One

This is why I believe that all new churches should make planting a value from day one. From the beginning, your church should have the intention and plans to multiply. Even if it takes a bit longer to plant a brand new church, your church can still live out principles of church planting in small ways.

It is ultimately up to church leadership to decide the level of involvement, but attention needs to be given to multiplication.

The reality is that your new church may not feel ready to fully invest in church planting. You may want to let your own church develop. You may fear loss of resources and people to the new church. All of these things are perfectly okay. But we must again remind ourselves that church planting is about God. It’s about doing kingdom work and spreading the good news.

This is what planting pregnant looks like.

Source: Planting With the Intention of Multiplying

The post Planting With the Intention of Multiplying appeared first on Passion for Planting.

The Kryptonite of Multisite Momentum

Sean Cronin — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 09:00:54 +0000

by Portable Church Industries:

Sustaining Multisite Momentum When You Have a Big Vision

“Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!”

“Look! Up in the sky!”
“It’s a bird!”
“It’s a plane!”
“It’s Superman!”

This could be heard at the beginning of every adventure of our superhero. He was our courageous champion fighting for truth, justice, and The American way. Interesting too, that a tiny morsel of Kryptonite introduced by the enemy would render the hero weak and defenseless. And it seemed there was always Kryptonite threatening our hero!

What about those superheroes who fight every day for faith, grace, and the Kingdom way??? Do they face kryptonite? Unfortunately, champions of multisite strategy for growing the local church must face their own versions of the debilitating menace!

Multisite Superpower is a Clear Vision

LibertyLive.Church in Hampton, Virginia knew the power of God to transform lives. Emboldened, in 2009 God began to speak to the leadership in a new way – developing a new powerful vision. What would it look like for God to be doing what he’s doing here, over there, and there, and there, and… ? “What would it look like “to reach the entirety of Hampton Roads?”

In this case, the “superheroes” are not leaping a tall building with a single bound. They are simply tuned into God for a fresh white-hot vision that fuels their daily Kingdom work. For Liberty, their vision had power, was received, developed, and cast with such extraordinary clarity that it became a compelling force for the entire community. Specifically, the “tall building they were leaping” was 10 new campuses by 2026 that would transform the lives of thousands of families in the Hampton Roads Region. Their metropolis of the Kingdom.

From the time a compelling vision is captured and cast with clarity, to the time when people are functioning in a new reality that meets or exceeds that vision, is a chasm the church must bridge with laser-focused strategies that get people from here to there.

Great clarity of a vision brings anticipated traction! The power of Liberty’s future reality began to take shape in a way that was recognized by leadership as God’s fulfillment of the vision. Hundreds of new families were responding to the Gospel through the addition of 3 new campuses in the Hampton Roads Region.

But four campuses were not the 10 cast in the vision. There are still significant areas of Hampton Roads that need to be reached. And LibertyLive did not feel released from the vision. But unaware, the dreaded kryptonite was close.

Knowing your Multisite Kryptonite

Within a multisite strategy, the necessity for new facilities in new communities begins to present new issues that could be crippling to a wonderful Kingdom vision. The slow speed of raising resources and developing sites can be kryptonite threatening the rhythm of growth.

The church regularly flirts with debilitating kryptonite as it decides how to develop and allocate resources for real estate. The amount of resources needed, and the cost and time in raising those resources is costly in both financial and leadership capital.

Facing Multisite Kryptonite head on – and winning!

Over the course of four decades, the multisite strategy has been innovated extensively and become quite sophisticated. So how do churches see this kryptonite coming and overcome the cost of growth and still figure out how to “GO” faster and cheaper….and with excellence?

Leaders understand how doing church portably would be cheaper and faster. But can it be effective? Can it be sustained? Can portability play an incubator role in the strategy for permanence in a community?

What has happened at LibertyLive?

Find out how the multisite adventure at LibertyLive is progressing! PCI has assembled a white paper – The Kryptonite of Multisite Momentum – that addresses most of the variables involved in the real estate/facility side of multisiting – especially with 3+ campuses.

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Source: The Kryptonite of Multisite Momentum

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Launching a Student Ministry at a New Campus or a Church Plant

Patrick Bradley — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 09:00:00 +0000

By New Churches Team: There are many different ways to develop multisite campuses and new church plants. You can have twin campuses that look exactly the same; you can have sibling campuses that are definitely related, but not mirrors of each other; you can have cousin campuses that resemble each other, but require a deeper look to find the relation; and you can have a network that’s not related nor do they look the same but they share a common vision or mission. Each of these options will work for different churches with different needs.

Recently, I chatted with Ryan McDermott, the Director of Student Ministries and Young Adults at Christ Fellowship Church in South Florida. He and I discussed what it looks like to launch a student ministry at a new campus or a church plant. Ryan began leading his first student ministry at the age of 19. Five years later he joined the staff at Christ Fellowship Church, where he has been for eight years. Christ Fellowship currently has nine campuses plus two smaller expressions of their student ministry in communities where they don’t currently have a campus. For Ryan and Christ Fellowship Church, creating twin campuses allows them to be the best stewards of their time and resources, and helps members know they will receive the same experience no matter what campus they attend…

To read the rest of the article, and to watch the entire video training, click here for the full videos and post.

These videos are part of Plus Membership. To get full access to them, and much more, I encourage you to become a Plus Member. Click here to see all the benefits of becoming a Plus Member.

Source: Launching a Student Ministry at a New Campus or a Church Plant

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Episode 270: Dynamics of Starting a Fourth Site

Patrick Bradley — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 09:00:41 +0000

by NewChurches.com: When starting your fourth campus, your strategy may change, but your vision and values should stay the same.

In Episode 270 of the NewChurches Q&A Podcast, Daniel and Todd discuss things to consider when planting your fourth site. Here’s Howard with today’s question:

We are a three-site church and are considering a fourth campus. How do we keep the cost down and the focus on mission?

In this episode, you’ll discover:

The massive shift that happens when going from three campuses to four or five campuses.
How reducing the scope of ministry automatically reduces financial cost.

Shareable Quotes (#NewChurches):

“As you consider starting a fourth campus, take a good hard look at governance, decision rights, and communication.”–@ToddAdkins
“When starting a new campus, you want to focus on the leaders that are going with you, the lost in the community you are going, and making sure that you have everything you need to reach those people effectively.”–@ToddAdkins
“There’s a big difference between your vision, strategy, and values.”–@danielsangi
“When it comes to different sizes of campuses and starting the next campus, you want to make sure that your vision and values are consistent. But your strategy may differ depending on size.”–@danielsangi
“What are your values that are going to persists regardless of the strategy that you use to get to the vision that God’s called you to?”–@danielsangi

Additional Resources:

Check out our Moving Toward Multisite Course
Take a look at our Essential Campus Pastoring Course
Listen to Episode 30: Daughter Churches, Governance, and Decisions
Read this post about Resisting Spiritual Colonialism & Ambulance Chasing

Help us Multiply the Mission:

The post Episode 270: Dynamics of Starting a Fourth Site appeared first on NewChurches.com – Church Planting, Multisite, and Multiplication.

Source: Episode 270: Dynamics of Starting a Fourth Site

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