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8 Questions to Consider Before Launching Multisite Worship (Part Two)
(Continued from Part One)
Multi-site churches share the same vision, budget and leadership across all of their locations, no matter how distant
from one another they may be. Here are some prudent cautions that churches might consider before leaping into the paradigm. Have this discussion over several months in order to make a wise choice.
Question 5
Is our congregation willing to "seed" a new site?
Comment: The pastor of one congregation where I was a frequent consultant offered this suggestion to another local church as they were contemplating opening an additional church site. He suggested that they check their demographics carefully before launching into a new territory because multi-sites generally don't thrive where there is not a preponderance of young families. Pastor Jim, let's call him, made the mistake of moving a new church into an area of primarily retired folks and it took more than two years to develop an adequate congregation to stay afloat. Also, without an "instant" congregation, few multi-sites survive. For that reason, it is important for churches to encourage a portion of their main congregation to move out to where the site is being planted. Not surprisingly, many people find the pioneer spirit of such a move to be very exciting. By-and-large, the number needed to launch a new site is at the very least 50 people and works pretty well when there are 200. This so-called critical mass usually insures there will be enough workers and leaders to build this new church into a reality.
Question 6
Does our congregation understand the need for high-quality media tech equipment?
Comment: No multisite can be built without appropriate creature comforts. Sure, the chairs have to be comfortable (well, sort of comfortable), but the power to communicate well dominates multisite startups. For example, if the sermon is delivered by video, it must have been captured and presented by relatively high-end equipment. The days of the Bell and Howell projectors are over! If your home T.V. delivers a good, clean, HD image for you to watch the nightly news, isn't it equally important that the content of your sermons be delivered in a compelling and easily viewed technology? Churches frequently battle over the cost of media tech equipment in their main sanctuaries, but there is no debating the need for such equipment in multisite environments. Most people who attend multi-sites don't care so much about stained glass windows, but they do care about being able to see, hear, and get the message and the music. Good technology is not the place to skimp when creating multisite budgets.
Question 7
Has our church failed over and over in evangelistic endeavors?
Comment: I hope you take this the right way. Churches that have never been very good at so-called "outreach" programs often fail with multi-site initiatives. On the face of it, the expectation for multi-sites is that people will come to church who have never been inside one. We used to call that evangelism, and we should still call it evangelism because that's precisely what it is. Churches that have not been very successful in caring for the spiritual health of their communities rarely understand what it takes to have successful sites away from their main sanctuary. A passionate vision must exist when looking to expand a church's reach. Examine the programs you have in place to help people gain such a passion and make sure the top leadership considers this a priority.
Question 8
Do we have qualified worship personnel for the new venue?
The people who lead your worship probably will be untrained in many ways. For the first few weeks this may be charming. This will pass. Leading worship is not a garage band showcase, it's the real deal when it comes to ministry! I visited a multisite recently where the competence of the musicians involved in worship was so minimal that I was embarrassed for them and for the church that had hired me to evaluate their worship. An old friend once commented to me that the level of performance at a concert he had attended was horrifying. His direct quote was, "You cannot play Bach by ear!"
You can't lead worship without skill, passion for worship, and a modicum of preparation, either.
So, we might conclude that...
I love many aspects of how the church is changing. The whole multisite movement has been particularly interesting to watch and be part of, but to continue toward it without doing your homework, can be disastrous. Oh, the church might not crash and burn if you fail in the process, but you might demoralize your congregation because of a lack of success. Is God honored by multisite churches? Of course He is! But, you have to do it right!
Blessings,
Doug
More on this subject...
—Doug Lawrence, internationally recognized speaker, author, and advisor, helps churches assess and improve their skillfulness in creating engaging worship experiences by utilizing his more than 35 years of "deep trench" worship leadership in prominent mainline churches. You may reach him at dlawrenceconsult@mac.com. Or, if you wish, call 650.207.8240 for assessment information and scheduling. Doug now teams with the slingshotgroup.net to place extraordinary worship leaders in extraordinary churches.
Multi-site churches share the same vision, budget and leadership across all of their locations, no matter how distant
from one another they may be. Here are some prudent cautions that churches might consider before leaping into the paradigm. Have this discussion over several months in order to make a wise choice. Question 5
Is our congregation willing to "seed" a new site?
Comment: The pastor of one congregation where I was a frequent consultant offered this suggestion to another local church as they were contemplating opening an additional church site. He suggested that they check their demographics carefully before launching into a new territory because multi-sites generally don't thrive where there is not a preponderance of young families. Pastor Jim, let's call him, made the mistake of moving a new church into an area of primarily retired folks and it took more than two years to develop an adequate congregation to stay afloat. Also, without an "instant" congregation, few multi-sites survive. For that reason, it is important for churches to encourage a portion of their main congregation to move out to where the site is being planted. Not surprisingly, many people find the pioneer spirit of such a move to be very exciting. By-and-large, the number needed to launch a new site is at the very least 50 people and works pretty well when there are 200. This so-called critical mass usually insures there will be enough workers and leaders to build this new church into a reality.
Question 6
Does our congregation understand the need for high-quality media tech equipment?
Comment: No multisite can be built without appropriate creature comforts. Sure, the chairs have to be comfortable (well, sort of comfortable), but the power to communicate well dominates multisite startups. For example, if the sermon is delivered by video, it must have been captured and presented by relatively high-end equipment. The days of the Bell and Howell projectors are over! If your home T.V. delivers a good, clean, HD image for you to watch the nightly news, isn't it equally important that the content of your sermons be delivered in a compelling and easily viewed technology? Churches frequently battle over the cost of media tech equipment in their main sanctuaries, but there is no debating the need for such equipment in multisite environments. Most people who attend multi-sites don't care so much about stained glass windows, but they do care about being able to see, hear, and get the message and the music. Good technology is not the place to skimp when creating multisite budgets.
Question 7
Has our church failed over and over in evangelistic endeavors?
Comment: I hope you take this the right way. Churches that have never been very good at so-called "outreach" programs often fail with multi-site initiatives. On the face of it, the expectation for multi-sites is that people will come to church who have never been inside one. We used to call that evangelism, and we should still call it evangelism because that's precisely what it is. Churches that have not been very successful in caring for the spiritual health of their communities rarely understand what it takes to have successful sites away from their main sanctuary. A passionate vision must exist when looking to expand a church's reach. Examine the programs you have in place to help people gain such a passion and make sure the top leadership considers this a priority.
Question 8
Do we have qualified worship personnel for the new venue?
The people who lead your worship probably will be untrained in many ways. For the first few weeks this may be charming. This will pass. Leading worship is not a garage band showcase, it's the real deal when it comes to ministry! I visited a multisite recently where the competence of the musicians involved in worship was so minimal that I was embarrassed for them and for the church that had hired me to evaluate their worship. An old friend once commented to me that the level of performance at a concert he had attended was horrifying. His direct quote was, "You cannot play Bach by ear!"
You can't lead worship without skill, passion for worship, and a modicum of preparation, either.
So, we might conclude that...
I love many aspects of how the church is changing. The whole multisite movement has been particularly interesting to watch and be part of, but to continue toward it without doing your homework, can be disastrous. Oh, the church might not crash and burn if you fail in the process, but you might demoralize your congregation because of a lack of success. Is God honored by multisite churches? Of course He is! But, you have to do it right!
Blessings,
Doug
More on this subject...
—Doug Lawrence, internationally recognized speaker, author, and advisor, helps churches assess and improve their skillfulness in creating engaging worship experiences by utilizing his more than 35 years of "deep trench" worship leadership in prominent mainline churches. You may reach him at dlawrenceconsult@mac.com. Or, if you wish, call 650.207.8240 for assessment information and scheduling. Doug now teams with the slingshotgroup.net to place extraordinary worship leaders in extraordinary churches.
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Doug Lawrence
Doug Lawrence, internationally recognized speaker, author, and advisor, helps churches assess and improve their skillfulness in creating engaging worship experiences by utilizing his more than 35 years of "deep trench" worship leadership in prominent mainline churches.
