Why I’m Passionate About the Multi-Site Church Movement
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Wed, September 07, 2005
- Viewed 103
- (34) comments so far
Great question. And a fair one as well. I do try to cover the multi-site movement pretty closely here at the MMIBlog; and I'll try to explain why. Doing so has caused me to really consider why I like and support the multi-site concept. (This is mostly off the top of my head, so please excuse any typos) 
1. Multi-site Churches are growing Churches
I've been nailed so many times here at the blog for defending multi-site churches; but the bottom line is (in my opinion) multisite churches are getting the job done. Many churches that have adopted the multi-site format are simply growing and making disciples at a very rapid pace.
This quickly brings me to the topic of criticism. Those opposed to the multi-site format have a ton of criticism to throw out:
--The egocentric mega-church multi-site pastor (I've yet to meet one);
--The lack of training of leaders and empowering leaders in the multi-site movement (leveled mostly by people that have never attended a multi-site... it takes just as many people, if not more) to pull off a satellite campus).
--The feeling that only one person is 'gifted' enough to speak. In fact, many multi-site churches use teaching 'teams' and on-site campus pastors who speak occasionally. Actually, the gift of communicating is an important skill... maybe some focus should be put on the number of pastors who bore their churches to death week after week.
--The feeling that multi-sites should just plant churches if they want to expand the Kingdom. (I'll discuss why the multi-site model actually works better (in many cases) than traditional church plants, and why.
--That people won't sit, watch, learn and grow from teaching on a screen. That's just not true. Believe it or not, they do.
--That it's not right that people don't have access to their pastor. Let's face it... if you're in a church over 100; you have increasingly limited access to your lead pastor. Multi-sites don't just leave this void, they fill it with a campus pastor or other staff that meet the needs of the people just like a 'regular' church.
--That multi-site churches are 'church-lite'; or don't teach a valid message. Many go as far as to say that converts and disciples made at multi-sites aren't 'true disciples' because the message they hear is only a feel good 'what's in it for me' message that leads to non-redeeming faith in something other than God's Son. I've just not found this to be the case. Some multi-sites even buck the trend... 45 minute messages; expository preaching; etc.
OK... enough about the critics. Here's my stance... Rick Warren said it well at the Leadership Summit this year... the public body of Christ has lost it's arms and legs and the only thing that's left is a mouth. Many times, I think the Christian community (and pastors in general) are nothing but a mouth for the things we are against. I hate that. I'd rather be part of something that is positive. And that's the main reason I and passionate about the multi-site movement. Here's my experience:
Multi-site Churches are passionate for the lost.
Critics can argue methodology, theology, financial aspects, personality aspects, and other things all day long. But many times I wonder what the purpose of all the criticism is. Sometimes I think it's jealousy (they're being successful and I'm not). Sometimes I just think its ignorance (I don't understand it and it's different, so I'm against it). And sometimes I think it's just people talking about things they have never investigated. For example, saying that multi-site churches are not making disciples and have egotistical pastors is a moot point if you've never even attended a multi-site church to experience it for yourself.
Multi-site Churches are passionate for the lost. I like that. And it's a team I want to be a part of.
OK... this is getting long (as I'm just going off the top of my head).
A couple other things I like about the multi-site model:
2. I like worship options.
As a former worship pastor; I do like the multiple worship styled venue options. Things were so much easier 25 years ago when there was one style: traditional. Like it or not, our culture has changed; and offering different worship styles is a great tool in breaking the ice with people. Think that's not so? Take yourself out of your own worship setting and pick one that would be opposite of your personal taste. Now picture yourself worshipping in that service for a year. Could you do that? What would your attitude be? I can worship in any style (and I like just about all styles); but I have a preference. And my preference really helps me move into God's presence in an even deeper way. If your truthful, your worship preference probabably does the same. Multi-sites have this luxury of formatting their services in greater ways to reach who they're going after. All without sacrificing the main message and theme of the service.
3. Multi-Sites Just Make Sense In So Many Ways
Multi-sites just make sense in a lot of stewardship ways. Multi-sites can share staff members. Multi-sites can save money on overhead in all kinds of ways just because of simple 'economy of scale'. Multi-sites can save money on all kinds of things that smaller, independant churches cannot because there is less duplicating of tasks. Seacoast Church, for example, can start a new campus for as little as $75,000. Try doing that with a that with a traditional church plant.
I realize this is a rambling rather than a 'ready to be published' treatus. And I'm not sure that I really even said all I wanted to say. To those involved in multi-sites; all the North Coasts, Seacoasts, LifeChurch.tvs, Buckheads, Community Christians, Saddlebacks, and others... I say, "Keep up the great work!" Let's see where this mult-site movement goes and how many thousands of lives will be brought into the Kingdom as a result!
These are exciting days!
Todd
Discussion: Please feel free to respond to specific points if you like. We'll not turn this into a full-blown debate on multi-sites though... we've been there; done that (and I've got the scars to prove it). Just check the archives.
Yesterday, Brad left a comment here on the blog that I wanted to respond to. Brad wrote: After reading the blog for a year or so now, you seem to be very passionate about the multisite church concept - what’s the story...I am always intrigued by what make people ‘go’ - and this seems to be a pretty important deal to you - so shed some light for me, an associate pastor, who’s church is considering launching another site, on what you like/dislike about the "multisite" concept…
Comments
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Todd Rhoades on Thu, September 08, 2005
consumeristic
market-driven
Fortune 500-style
franchises
pyramidal leadership
foreign to Scripture
latest fad
stealing customers
ego-maniacal leaders
insanity
“product”
fickleness
sub denominations
controlled by one man
multi-site pods
That’s a record, Ricky. A couple of really power-packed paragraphs.
It’s certainly one way to look at things. The wrong way, I think; but none the less, a way. http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif
That gives me an idea, actually. http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif Watch for a new exciting post on multi-sites soon. I’m sure most of you can’t wait!?!
Truthfully and sincerely, Ricky… may God bless your efforts to reach the lost; just as he is blessing those who use models other than yours, including, yes, the multi-site model. We’re both on the same team.
Todd
Brad on Thu, September 08, 2005
Thanks Todd - I have more perspective now than I did yesterday.
Brad
P.S. - I didn’t realize this was such a hot issue. It almost sparked as much response as the KJV controversy might in our hyper conservative bloggs/forums.
Randy Smith on Thu, September 08, 2005
Bernie brings up an interesting point. God used a specific church planting model for a specific need. He still does that - at least He has with us!
Various planting models have been specifically used to by God to birth and grow His church throughout history. One model worked in one time and place, another in another time and place - each inspired by God to accomplish what only that model could uniquely do in that time, in that place. Maybe this is the multi-site’s time and place….
One can’t help but wonder if the recent rise of the multisite church has something to do with a worsening economy that will tighten pocketbooks (and church planting budgets) and gasoline prices that will keep us within 10-15 miles of our house. Who knows, those who drive 20-30 miles to a mega-church may be praying right now a church “just like the one they love!” will plant in their neighborhood. Hmmmmm….
In any case, for some of us the multisite church has allowed us to accomplish what would have taken another model many more years and dollars. Again, this is good stewardship.
For others another planting model fits their personality and God-given purpose and passion. The key is to allow God to work (and plant!) however He choses.
God’s best!!!!!
Geoff Surratt on Thu, September 08, 2005
I don’t want to rant on Todd’s blog so I’ll give the cliff notes here. (I’ll post my full rant on my blog) There are three arguments against multi-site I don’t understand:
1. Multi-site churches don’t develop and deploy leaders. I would argue that a multi-site church employs more rather than fewer leaders. Many of their leaders, however, are home grown.
2. Multi-site is somehow inferior (or superior) to church planting. Multi-site is A strategy, not THE strategy. Most multi-site churches I work with do both.
3. Multi-site churches aren’t evangelistic. In research we’ve done with Leadership Network we’ve found that new campuses are MORE evangelistic (i.e. conversion growth) than the original church.
As to ego-maniacal, consumeristic, market driven feel good churches; you got us there. That pretty much sums up what drives us all, doesn’t it http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif
2.
Todd Rhoades on Thu, September 08, 2005
Thanks, Geoff…
That really does help give things some perspective. I think some people think that a multisite is just a big room with a screen. Those people are just misinformed. The multi-sites I’ve seen have leveraged the leadership abilities of literally hundreds of people to pull off a separate site.
And as you said, multi-site is just a strategy. I’m not sure why some feel the need to rip apart everything someone else is doing. If you were imposing your way of doing church as THE only biblical model, it would be another story. But that’s not at all what you’re doing. Seacoast is successful because you’ve found a way (that works for you) to bring people into the kingdom. That’s super! And I don’t see you railing on the people that are using other ways to grow the kingdom.
Oh well… it’s late; and any more babbling at this point would be just that… babbling. http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif
Nite all.
Todd
kd on Thu, September 08, 2005
Glad to see Ricky back. He gives us food for thought! The Lord loves us all and I think we can learn from each other. Perhaps that is a part of the “one anothering “ we read about in scripture. God’s grace to you and everyone that is a part of this blog!
Lynn on Thu, September 08, 2005
Some positives have now been pointed out in the contexts of some specific churches doing and considering multi-site approaches.
The negatives seem to be general. In all the list of negatives, can a specific multi-site church or two be referenced? If not…
Bernie Dehler on Fri, September 09, 2005
Geoff said:
“Multi-site churches don’t develop and deploy leaders. I would argue that a multi-site church employs more rather than fewer leaders. Many of their leaders, however, are home grown.”
Sure, they create “sub leaders”, but not leaders on par with the senior Pastor looking over the whole network. If you plant a church, you plant a peer leader (and also lose control; a good thing!). If you do a multi-site, you build a hierarchy and maintain control. Multi-site is growning more my addition and less by multiplication. Multiplication is the goal. I agree that multi-site is “easier,” but “easier” shouldn’t be a prime justification… doing what’s right is what’s more important.
...Bernie
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/247
Linda on Fri, September 09, 2005
If Multi-site is working and people are coming, getting discipled and equipt that’s great!!! We’re on the same team!!!
The Church I’m a part of is totally into church planting. We train five different worship teams at a time so we can always pull a team together for a plant. My pastor Ralph Moore is into training and releasing young pastors to plant in the USA and worldwide. Each pastor who leaves to plant leaves with the idea that they will train and plant churches as well.
You can read articles on his church planters forum at http://www.cpforum.net Together we can disciple nations!!
Chris Cree on Sun, September 11, 2005
I’d be interested to know some of the experiences of those who are so hostile to the multi-site thing. My own experience it is purely first hand. I blundered into Seacoast a while back and have since seen how it works (and some of the challenges) up close and personal. But that’s for another post.
People in this post talk about the ‘fad.’ Well, this ‘fad’ is changing lives. I had a woman at a small group in my living room tell us that, not only was she not a Christian, but she was into witchcraft, etc. Yet God brought her into the Kingdom through our multi-site church. She would not have gone to a more traditional church because of previous bad experiences. She felt that meeting in a movie theater was very non-threatening. Over time God softened her heart. And it was a direct result of a message one Sunday that she reached the moment of conversion. That particular message was played via video on our movie screen two hours away from where it was recorded.
And her story is far from unique. We have seen literally thousands who would not have gone (or, more often, gone back) to a traditional church setting come to know Jesus personally through this ‘fad’ we are a part of.
Two things that really impressed me about Seacoast early on coming out of a more traditional church setting: First I saw what seemed to me to be a much higher percentage of men in the congregation than I was used to seeing in church. The second thing I noticed right away was their depth of leadership. As I have looked closer I have seen that the vast majority of their leadership comes up from within their congregation. Seacoast is growing leaders at a much higher rate than any church with which I have been associated. Quite frankly it takes a large number of highly skilled leaders to man all of the campuses. If they weren’t producing them, they wouldn’t be able to keep growing.
To say that those leaders will never be “higher” than the Senior Pastor is a straw-man argument. Every organization has some sort of hierarchy. I see leaders throughout the Bible, many of whom were at the “top”. That argument necessarily becomes one against bigness simply because bigness is “bad”. However at the beginning of Acts we see one big church meeting in the temple courts and from house to house. How many mega-churches are seeing thousands join in a single day like Peter did?
If people are looking to see what multi-sites are really like, go spend some time in one. If they are looking to “prove” that multi-site churches are “evil” all I can say is good luck. Having seen it first hand, I think those people are ill informed. Regardless I am confident that God will sort it out….
Preston on Mon, September 12, 2005
Todd,
I think it is awesome that you are helping shed some light on Multi-site ministry. As an associate pastor at a Multi-site ministry, our church has 3 campuses, I have found it to be an absolutely awesome experience. I have been at this campus since it’s conception and public launch with about 30 people. Today 21/2 years later we are having over 650 in weekend atendance at our campus. The most amazing thing is that in 21/2 years we have never had a service that we did not see 3 or 4 sometimes a dozen or more people come to Christ.
We function from a “one church, with many campuses” philosphy. We have a bidirectional feed that makes things interactive between campuses when needed. But that aside, it allows us to have a “real” influence into the communities where our campuses are located. The “why” behind what we do is simply to be able to influence our entire city and the surrounding communities for God. We have found that in order to truly accomplish our mission, we needed to be in those communities in a real way. Having multiple campuses gives us that opportunity.
Keep sharing on this topic, I think as Body of Christ we need to evaluate our plans often. Are we accomplishing what we say we have set our hands to the plow to d? If not, maybe we just need to adjust our plans a bit. The mission never changes, but often as we go, our plans must change. Change is a good thing.
Bernie Dehler on Mon, September 12, 2005
Chris says:
“To say that those leaders will never be “higher” than the Senior Pastor is a straw-man argument. Every organization has some sort of hierarchy. I see leaders throughout the Bible, many of whom were at the “top”.”
Are you referring to the Catholic Church, and Peter as the first Pope who ruled over everyone? (Of course, being a former Catholic, I don’t buy this version of history.)
I also don’t think you are referring to the Apostle Paul. I’d say he was a church planter, not a multi-site or mega-Pastor. If you want to support a model like the Apostle Paul, I would heartily agree.
I don’t know which Christian leaders you are referring to from the Bible. I think Jesus taught the opposite of the hierarchial system.
Matthew 23:9-11
And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant.
...Bernie
http://www.freegoodnews.com
Lynn on Mon, September 12, 2005
Once again, the positives are specific and first-hand, but the only criticisms seem to be non-specific and hypothetical.
If there is a specific multi-site church, or leadership of a specific multi-site, that warrants criticism, then let’s hear it in its context. If you have no first-hand knowledge of specific faults, what is the constructive value (that’s what we’re looking for, isn’t it?) of suppositional negatives?
If the multi-site model/methodology itself is unbiblical - contrary to the wishes of God’s Spirit - then wouldn’t it be a case of the multi-site model constituting “a house divided against itself [that] cannot stand” - as Jesus pointed out to the Pharisees when he was accused of casting out demons by Beelzebub?
So far, EVERY first-hand experience described here has been positive, God-honoring, Christ-adoring, kingdom-building, life-restoring.
The evidence presented here clearly indicates that multi-site churches are “robbing Satan’s housel.” (Matt. 12:29) And that is a praise-worthy thing.
Ove Johnsson on Tue, September 13, 2005
I personally prefer the Mother-daughter church planting model. There are different models there. The best model is when the mother church is able to purchase land, and even the church building for the new daughter church. The staff can still be part of the mother church, but there will be a new preaching pastor at the new daugher church. I can give a good example of that in Kansas City, but I better not.
Ove Johnsson
Banks on Tue, September 13, 2005
I find it difficult to see why there is any real criticiszm about the planting of ministries. Not every church is equipped to do it however those that are God Bless them. Those who are not God Bless them as well. I believe we all just need to thank God for how he uses us all to accomplish the full work of the kingdom. Our church was very traditional up until about 8 years ago when God began to shift and re-create the church. We are now about a year from planting another church and are looking forward to the challenge and the results that shall manifest from this endeavor. Please pray for M.H.C as we do what God has instructed us all to d, spread the gospel
Tony
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