Rethinking the Multi-Site Church Ministry Model

On this episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee is joined in the studio by Watermark Campus Pastor John Cox. Together, they discuss the multi-site church model, Watermark's history with it, and what they have learned along the way. For show notes and more, visit https://www.watermarkresources.com/clp/8471-multisite

Episode Summary

Introduction

The multi-site church model provides communities with several distinct advantages. When done right, they have a much higher success rate than planting a church right away. The resources and relationships from the parent campus often act as a bridge and support in the new location's early days. However, Watermark has also found that all things considered equal, an independent local church is better than a multi-site or satellite campus. That is why it is the aim of all our multi-sites to roll off once they have sufficient leadership and resources. Remember that one of the most important considerations in multi-site campuses is understanding that each area is going to have it's own unique context for ministry. Not every campus can be nor should be the same. It takes all kinds of churches to reach all kind of people.

6 Principles for Healthy Multi-site Churches

Be clear on your why. Is your new campus a reach campus (intended to reach a new area of town), a relief campus (intended to lessen the burden at your main campus)? Your people need to understand the point of a new location.
Start with a leader. Whenever God starts something, it always starts with God raising up a leader. If a leader has not yet been raised up, chances are it is not time to start a new campus.
Keep it simple. The temptation when starting a new church campus is to start too many ministries too soon. You should begin by focusing on the essentials: Sunday morning, children's ministry, and small group communities. You may not have every ministry right away, but you need to avoid spreading your staff and volunteers too thin.
Focus on values, not programs. An average leader focuses first on programs, but a great leader will focus on values. Before you will ever get your people to care about taking action, you need them to have a set of values that inspires them to act.
Begin with the end in mind. Know before beginning a satellite campus or multi-site if you are planning to eventually spin that campus off to be an independent church. This will let you encourage entrepreneurship and innovation.
Have the hard conversations on the front end. Especially regarding topics like resources, autonomy, and funding.