Multi-site Trends
Jim Tomberlin is a leader who is on the front edge of multi-site church trends. He
recently posted an entry at MondayMorningInsight.com.
I'll comment briefly on each of his trend items...
- I agree-multi-site is becoming common and "normal". Many church planters are planting with a multi-site mindset from the beginning. Its weird because when I came to New Life in 1999, I remember how "out there" multi-site church was. How things have changed in 10 years.
- We definitely operate out of this model. I think its like "urban warfare" applied to the church world. The church, like modern militaries, are forced to rethink their strategy now that the world is more than 50% urban. The recast strategy is to employ smaller, more mobile units in both the military and the church world--fighting the battle from "house to house".
- True for us and seeing this at several other churches around the country (Seacoast, Lifechurch, soon Mars Hill Seattle).
- This seems to be somewhat true though I think multi-site represents a big break from denominational thinking. Multi-site churches seem to have a much higher value on intra-church cooperation and define themselves more by agreement than by disagreement.
- This may be true but it seems also true that many campus pastors, in my anectdotal research, are hired from within most often. Sort of a UPS hiring model--promote from within for 80% of the jobs.
- Most notably, www.theaterchurch.com, the website of National Community Church in DC. Mark Batterson and Co are doing a lot of pioneering on this front.
- Or as we call them, Restarts. And the more we witness the decline of older insitutional churches, the more this trend will increase.
- My parents attend a rural multi-site church--Thornapple Valley Church--and I love Pastor Jeff Arnett's vision and passion to grow great churches in the rural communities of Michigan. For him, if it has a grocery store, its probably a little too urban. But as he notes, not too many multi-site churches are working in truly rural areas yet so this area needs a strong dose of networking and resourcing.
- Not a fan of the internet campus. I don't believe you can call something that happens over the internet a church in the fullest sense. You can't baptize and you can't celebrate communion together, two functional basics that happen in the gathered community. I'm all for the video delivery of messages to real gatherings of people but not for the virtual gathering of people on different computers. I think innovation goes too far with this one.
- Personally, I think this format will have a backlash. Live preaching will never go out of style because in a techno world, people long for "the real thing, baby" (thanks Pepsi for the tagline.) And I have a concern about the growth of video as a means of delivery--the celebrity nature of mass distribution. I do not believe fallen humanity is built to handle glory and celebrity is a form of glory. Seems to lead to trouble. Again, not fundamentally opposed to video delivery of teaching, but I think it should be used with caution.
Things are changing fast
Things are changing fast. I looked
at my family as we spent lots of time together during the holiday’s
and I saw lots of change. My wife is changing. She is in a new season
of life now. She no longer is needed as a mom like she once was. It’s
a big change for her. My oldest son Aaron, is changing, He is finished
with college now and is planning his big move out of my nest and starting
his own. My other son Gabe has been out of the house for a couple of
years but is seeing the importance of career, marriage, fathering, and
future planning. My Daughter is quickly changing. She is now in college
and growing up fast. She has moved from a book bag to a purse. It might
not be a big deal to some but for me I saw it as a big step into adulthood.
My perspective of her from child to young adult is important. I remember
sitting on my couch looking at my family and feeling a small sense of
sadness thinking that our Christmas’s are different now. We have to
make new traditions, new adjustments to our plans because of new faces
being added to the family. But then it quickly changed as saw
how wonderful it was seeing how much fun they are as young adults.
You know the more I think about it, I think I am the one really changing.
It is not only a new year but a new season of life. More adjustments
need to be made to accommodate the change. Growth involves change
and that is very good. I once heard a preacher say, “ whatever doe’s
not grow dies”. So I better make I keep on growing so
I don’t die out.
There’s an Intruder in the House
I am from a small town in the mountains of
East Tennessee and lived there for the majority of my life. I moved to Chicago
14 years ago, and as you might imagine there are some differences within the
two communities. Although there may be differences, there is one thing the two
towns have in common, mice.
Lately, I have had some pretty creepy
experiences with mice. Some of you may think, oh brother, its mice live with
it. But you see, I don’t think you have to or should have to live with those
creepy little intruders. I did not invite them into my home, my house is clean,
and there is nothing for them in my home. Plus there is a perfectly good field
across the street. (I mean they are called field mice for crying out loud.)
Until recently I did not realize the phobia
I had when it came to mice. It all started with finding two dead mice in the
same spot two weeks apart. I thought is someone trying to drive me mad. Then
I did not have any sightings for some time. However, about two or three months
ago, four intruders decided that they were going to be resilient and hang
around. I had the Orkin man out three times in one month. Yet, these little
creatures would not leave. It seemed to be immune to the poison and traps. I
was unable to feel comfortable in my home and had terrible time sleeping; the
noise they make at night does not leave one feeling well rested.
Anyway, I begin to pray and asked others to
pray for these nasty intruders to be gone from my home. I mean God can do
anything and he does care about all things that take place in our lives.
However, He also uses things to teach us something. As I begged God to take
the nasty things away, send them to the field across the street, just remove
those vermin’s from my home. God begin to place on my heart the meaning of
being thankful. I began reading Philippians 4, reading again how we are to
pray with thanksgiving and to learn to be content no matter the situation. I
found myself beginning to pray with a heart of thanksgiving, for the provision
God had for me with where I lived, with my job, my friends who were praying for
my situation, and for so much more. As my prayer changed, I began to see
things differently and began to be content in my situation. I will say in no
time the intruders were gone and have not returned. I have been mice free for one
month now. Praise God. He cares and he hears our cry.
I leave
you with this wonderful reminder from Philippians 4:4-7: “Rejoice
in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known
to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”