I am going to blog while I listen to these sessions at the Multi-Site Conference. If you wonder what a Multi-Site Church is...you might want to review a post that I wrote about 3 'multi' approaches to ministry a few weeks ago.
Session one is by Greg Surratt who is the pastor of Seacoast Church in South Carolina (8 current sites--one church).
- This whole vision began with what seemed to be an unsolvable problem. Our community leaders would not allow us to build a larger facility. This caused us to consider these creative options.
- We now have 8 sites around the state. About six weeks ago, the mayor of Charleston called me. He said, 'we see what you are doing around the state. Would you be willing to consider putting a campus in our community?'
- For me the critical shift in my thinking happened when I stopped asking the question, 'how many people can we fit into our building?' and I began asking, 'How many people can we reach in our region with the message of Jesus Christ?'
- At Seacoast, the Senior Pastor is the teaching pastor. He teaches the message 'live' at one of the sites. The other sites get 'live' worship and the message by video. It is amazing how people have received the video-teaching.
- At each site, there is a Campus Pastor that coordinates the ministries, care, and the small groups. People see the Campus Pastor as their personal pastoral leader. Our Campus Pastors are people with varied backgrounds (an electrician, a dentist, a farmer). They don't have to be good teachers, because we use the gifts of our Senior Pastor. They need to be good care-givers and good leaders.
- Seacoast is the best in the world at providing a non-spooking and yet somewhat mystical spirit-filled worship experience in multiple locations in a very cost effective way. (this is their description of who they are as a church).
APC has launched a 'multi-church' vision (6 church plants). The reason I am here is to figure out how we can create a stronger momentum and synergy among our pastors and churches. I also am interested in the possibility of doing a multi-site location along with our already successful church planting process.
