A Multi-Site Church Road Trip:: Review

The Multi-Site Church Revolution, defines a multi-site church as:
…one church meeting in multiple locations – different rooms on the same campus, different locations in the same region, or in some instances different cities, states, or nations. A multi-site church shares a common vision, budget, leadership, and board. (p. 10)



This book walks you through a tour of 15 different churches and what they have done in an effort to reach more people and be more effective for Christ in the way in which they minister. Each church or campus has different visions and even implementation of the multi-site concept that is sweeping the nation. On page 24 it says, "Being one church with multiple locations has allowed Seacoast to grow larger and smaller at the same time". I love this concept. It is the concept we have adopted for our church plant in Royse City, TX called Gateway Fellowship. We have a deep desire to grow while at the same time keeping the atmosphere and attitude of an intimate, and authentic gathering of people who call themselves family while, "doing life together". We currently meet in "connect groups" throughout the week for Bible study, prayer and community development. We also join together on Sunday mornings for a time of coffee, conversation and celebration. These groups are helping us, "grow larger and smaller" even now in the beginning years of our journey as a church.

The book, "A Multi-Site Church Road Trip" takes us on a raod trip that looks like this:
1. The Multi-Site Variety Pack p.20
2. The Church Planting Versus Campus Launch Dilemma p.33
3. Getting Multi-Site Into Your Genes p.41
4. You Want To Launch a Campus Where p.56
5. Changing Your Community One Campus At A Time p.73
6. Internet Campuses - Virtual Or Real Reality? p.85
7. Fun With Technology p.101
8. Structure Morphing p114
9. Going Global p.129
10. Shared Communicator p.146
11. Merger Campuses- No Longer A Bad Idea p.158
12. Two-Or More-At Once p.173
13. Multiplied, Multiple Leaders p.186
14. Are You Sure This Isn't A Sin p.198
15. Grandchildren Already p.219

A portion of this road trip, gives us a glimpse at what we should look at when considering multiple campuses or church plants. When considering location look at:
1. Positive community image
......what is the perception of the location in the community
2. Location accessibility
......is the location near the people you want to reach
3. Facility accessibility
......how accessible is the facility in general?
4. Room for growth
......can you make the location inviting and comfortable as you anticipate future growth
5. Noise tolerance
......can the location accommodate loud music, loud preaching, crowds. In quiet moments, can it foster reflection?
6. Decent rent or purchase price
......be careful when the deal (purchase price) seems to be "too good to be true" it may very well be
7. Room for storage
......this is one of the biggest issues for portable, multi-site churches

I really enjoyed chapter 5, "Changing Your Community One Campus At A Time". It is the story of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and it is pastored by Dino Rizzo. On page 76 it states, "Everything at Healing Place Church is centered on taking care of the people no one else cares about". It goes on to say, on the next page, that the church has learned that when they begin to serve the least, help the lost, and meet the longings in a community, the community begins to respond- and change. The chapter goes on to give us the three multi-site benefits in community transformation. They are as follows:
1. Proximity
.....multi -site churches can go to where the people are
2. Resource Allocation
.....The campuses can "pool" their resources and often times can be more cost effective in the long run
3. Local Personalization
.....you can have an incarnational approach to the culture in which each campus or site is located

As the Lead pastor of our church plant, this book has served as a tool in helping equip our entire staff and elder body for what the Lord may have in store for us. We have prayed about and dreamed about launching other "sites" or campuses" from day one of our initial launch as a church. This book will show you how churches are enhancing their options for community, outreach, evangelism, and service in the local and global context.