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    South Florida: MultiSite Churches Popping Up Everywhere… (Part 2)

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    Some of the worshipers clearly sing from memory; others read video displays on two large screens.

    After a half-hour of singing, the campus pastor, Brian Benjamin, steps up. Tall, lean, mellow, with a short beard and black mock turtleneck, he seems less like a minister than a counselor. Actually, he's both.

    He offers a few words of welcome for visitors, then prays:

    "Thank you that we are part of something so big and far-reaching. ... You have called us to something besides a man-to-man religion. You've called us to a relationship." Yet he doesn't segue into a sermon. Instead, the members watch several recorded videos, with Mullins and teaching pastor John Maxwell. Some of the church's other ministers -- including Todd Mullins, 38, the senior pastor's son and second in command -- occasionally preach in person as well.

    In 2003, Tom Mullins decided to expand into Wellington, for its rapid growth. Christ Fellowship already had lots of members in western Palm Beach County.

    Benjamin, who sang, played trombone and directed counseling at the Palm Beach Gardens campus, confessed mixed feelings when Tom Mullins asked him to lead the Wellington branch. "I enjoyed what I was doing in Palm Beach Gardens," Benjamin said. "But my wife and I came to help where we were needed. I felt it would be a privilege to start ministries here."

    The centerpiece at Wellington is the weekly praise and worship service. But during the week, some 30 groups meet for Bible studies in private homes.

    Stephanie Plummer, 21, says she likes the appeal to young people. She adds that the Wellington services are much closer to her home in Royal Palm Beach.

    "It's a more active service, more exciting," says Plummer, a Christ Fellowship member for seven years. "Brian is great; he relates to young people. And I think Tom Mullins draws a lot of men; that's good for a church."

    Once a month, the Wellington church has a family dinner, with members gathering at picnic tables before the service. The dinners, plus the separate children's worship services, were a big draw for Andy and Karen Langsam of Wellington and their four kids.

    "It's important that the kids have a good church experience," Karen says.

    The Langsams moved from Houston in January, then church-shopped awhile before hearing of Christ Fellowship. They checked out the church from friends' referrals, then surfing its Web site, then attending services.

    "I liked how easy it was to find out about the church," says Andy Langsam, chief operating officer for a software company in Boca Raton. "And the pastors preach a wonderful message, not your ritual 10-minute sermon."

    The Wellington worshipers are looking forward to their new headquarters, an old Target store. Dedicated on May 1, the 116,000-square-foot building is part of a $12 million project to create a "Ministry Center" for worship, Bible study, counseling and other activities. Plans call for closing by the end of July, then moving in early next year.

    Meanwhile, the church founded The Ascent in West Palm Beach, a new branch for late teens and 20-somethings. Meeting at the Harriet Himmel Theater at CityPlace, the downtown satellite boasts summertime attendance of 350. The church plans to launch a second Ascent service there in late August -- and a third service in September for their elders.

    Back in Palm Beach Gardens, the church plans a new ministries center, to double or triple the 1,000 middle and high school students the church already serves. Cost of that project: about $18 million.

    Where else to expand? Maybe to Stuart or Port St. Lucie, to serve the members who come from the north. The church is also looking south, perhaps to Boynton Beach.

    To the Christ Fellowship pastors, all of it -- the campuses, the hardware, the organizations -- are just "tools" for spreading the gospel.

    "Jesus said he came to give us life in its fullness, Benjamin says. "I want people to experience that."

    Wanted to continue with the rest of the story we started here… A recent Wellington service at the middle school finds worshipers in their 20s to 40s—Anglos, Hispanics, African Americans, Caribbean islanders—many in jeans and slacks, gathering on a Saturday night, one of three weekend services. Worship leader James Duvall leads a rhythm section of guitars, keyboards, drums and singers…

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