By Jim Tomberlin Courtesy of the Aspen Group In our consulting work at MultiSite Solutions, we get weekly calls from churches asking two questions: So, why should a church merge? Should we do this or not? When I meet with the two involved parties, usually two senior pastors or a senior pastor and a board member, we talk about the following questions they should also be exploring: Should my church merge? Would my individual congregation be better by joining with another church? Would we be stronger together? Could we accomplish more together than we could separately? Would we find more ministry synergy, created by the two churches joining with common vision and purpose? Would our community be better served by us working… More
Tim & Alicia Gilligan founded Meadowbrook Church in Ocala, Florida in 1989 with a vision “to move people from where they are to where God wants them to be”. Twenty-five years later with 4,000+ people worshipping across 3 services, Meadowbrook is launching its first multisite campus in the fall of 2018. Here’s how the Meadowbrook team explained the multisite strategy to their church. Check out more multisite church videos on the MultiSite Solutions YouTube Channel.
On Super Bowl Sunday Christ Church Oak Brook in the western suburbs of Chicago, launched their first multisite “branch” in Downers Grove, IL, about twenty minutes from their Oak Brook location. Founded in 1965, Christ Church is a highly respected church known for its strong teaching ministry under senior pastor Dan Meyer, its quality ministries and a strikingly beautiful sanctuary. Christ Church Esplanade launched with core team of 200 people. Nearly 600 people gathered for their first multisite service in Downers Grove and have settled in with weekly attendance under 300. They utilized social media, direct mail, and yard signage as part of the roll out. Here is a video Christ Church ran for three months in local theaters leading up to the… More
Guest Article by Andy Addis – Courtesy of Christianity Today Bringing big church opportunities to small communities. “Honestly, I think you’re crazy.” That was the conversation stopper offered by a friend and colleague. We had gone to seminary together in the Dallas – Fort Worth metro area, served on staff at the same church, and now lived halfway across the country from each other in two different worlds. Matt chose a more urban ministry setting in northern California, and I had returned home to the wheat fields of Kansas. Even before this conversation, he had been giving me a hard time about moving back to rural with several statements beginning with, “Why would you…?” Driving… More
