Episode Details

Multisite churches have dramatically increased—from just a few hundred in the early 2000s to over 5,000 today. I’ve had the honor of being at the core this movement for nearly 2.5 decades, having led 13 multisite launches and coached many more. My goal in this solo episode is to share insights from my own experience to help you determine if your church is ready for multisite and how to sidestep common pitfalls that could cost your church significantly in the long run.

All month on unSeminary’s All About Multisite series, join us on Wednesdays for practical solo episodes, diving deep into the essentials of successful multisite strategies. Plus, don’t miss helpful Thursday interviews featuring prevailing multisite churches that maximize this model to reach more people effectively.

Episode Highlights:

• Why Multisite? Multisite as a powerful method for reaching more people, engaging more volunteers, and significantly increasing conversion rates. Multisite is not a solution for declining or stagnant churches, you “reproduce what you are.”
• Key Preconditions for Launch:
  • Healthy Momentum: Your church should already be growing faster than your local community. Only 6% of churches meet this criterion, which makes your church a standout candidate if you do.
  • Clear Vision & Mission: Everyone involved must clearly understand the “why” behind launching new campuses. Multisite should focus on mission-driven outreach, not simply convenience or ego-driven expansion.
  • Strong Volunteer Core: Aim to mobilize about 10% of your current congregation as a dedicated volunteer team for the new campus. We discuss the three-to-one ratio; for every volunteer, expect roughly three regular attendees at the new site.
  • Financial Margin: Greater upfront investment correlates directly with stronger initial attendance and long-term campus success. We talk about how the “launch large” philosophy leads to sustained impact.
  • Reproducible Model: Ensure your ministry systems—such as weekend services, children’s ministry, assimilation processes, volunteer appreciation, and financial stewardship—are standardized, scalable, and reproducible.
• Mergers vs. New Plants: Approximately half of