Join me as we answer some of the most common questions regarding multisite churches.
Let’s start off with some basic questions…
What is a multisite church?
A multisite church is one church meeting in multiple locations – different rooms on the same campus, different locations in the same region, or in some instances, different cities, states, or nations. A multisite church shares a common vision, budget, leadership and board.
Definition of Multi-Site Terms
Multisite church: Short for multiple site church, or one church with multiple locations. A church is considered multisite if it has more than one worship venue, more than one campus or a combination of both.
Campus: A geographically separate location where a complete church ministry (i.e., adult worship, nursery, children’s programming) takes place. A multisite church may have several campuses. A campus might also be called a branch or satellite.
Venue: A location where a worship service for adults is held, such as a church’s fellowship hall, gym, or chapel.
Worship service: Christ-centered community that usually includes singing, praying, and preaching. It happens regularly, usually weekly. Also known as a celebration, service of divine worship, worship experience, and sometimes simply “church.”
Strategic partner: At North Point Community Church in Atlanta, where this idea is most actively being pioneered, a strategic partner is a church that shares North Point’s mission, strategy, values, and beliefs but remains a separate entity.
What does a multisite church look like?
A multisite church can resemble any of a wide variety of models. For some churches, having multiple sites involves only a worship service at each location; for others, each location has a full range of support ministries. Some churches use videocast sermons (recorded or live); others have in-person teaching on-site. Some churches maintain a similar worship atmosphere and style at all their campuses, and others allow or invite variation.
Video-Venue Model: Creating one or more on-campus environments that use video-cast sermons (live or recorded), often varying the worship style
Regional-Campus Model: Replicating the experience of the original campus at additional campuses in order to make church more accessible to other geographic communities.
Teaching-Team Model: Leveraging a strong teaching team across multiple locations at the original campus or an off-site campus.
Partnership Model: Partnering with a local business or nonprofit organization to use its facility beyond a mere “renter” arrangement.
Low-Risk Model: Experimenting with new locations that have a low level of risk because of the simplicity of programming and low financial investment involved but that have the potential for high returns in terms of evangelism and growth.
Looking for additional information? Please be sure to visit our Multisite Resources page for extensive list of resources such as books, concept papers and blogs.
