The Multi-Site Road Trip

I was invited to check out the newest book by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Warren Bird A Multi-Site Church Road Trip (look for its review in Net Results in the March-April 2010 issue). After reading the book, I proffered a question to the authors. The question and the answer is posted below. The authors of the book will be following the comments, so if you have thoughts or additional questions, don’t hesitate to post and we’ll see what kind of a conversation we can get going with them.

Question:

With all the hype, success stories, and publicity given to multi-site churches, for many congregations struggling to survive, the multi-site option may seem to be an enticing enterprise (dare we say “program”?).   With this in mind, what would you say are the foundational/key/bottom-line traits that a church/congregation must have/exhibit before it seriously entertains the idea of planning or implementing a multi-site option?

Reply:

Bottom line – if a church is struggling to survive, multi-site is not for them.  It rarely has successfully catalyzed growth in a dead or dying congregation. In fact, we are not aware of any churches where this has been the case.  It can be an effective tool for sustaining growth but not for creating growth.  The foundational questions for a church to ask before making a decision to go multi-site include:

1. Is your church healthy?  Is it growing?  Are members excited about bringing their family and friends?  If you’re unhealthy, why export your disease?

2. Is there a driving impetus behind your desire to go multi-site?  All the leaders we have interfaced with over the last 7 years chose to open additional sites because they saw no better options for fulfilling God’s purpose and direction for their church.

3. Are key leaders behind the decision?  Going multi-site is not easy and therefore it is vital for key leaders to be unified and excited about moving forward with an additional campus(es).  Employing multi-site as an “end-around strategy” is doomed for failure.

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For further dialog, see more Q&A at the authors’ blog www.multisiteroadtrip.com or contact them via Twitter: @geoffsurratt, @gregligon or @warrenbird. To order Multi-Site Church Roadtrip, click here http://bit.ly/7pmFZQ, and to order Multi-Site Church Revolution, click here http://bit.ly/5q5AaD.