A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip: Exploring the New Normal (Leadership Network Innovation Series) [Paperback]

Geoff Surratt (Author), Greg Ligon (Author), Warren Bird (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0310293944 | ISBN-13: 978-0310293941 | Publication Date: September 19, 2009 | Edition: 1

Hop On for a Guided Tour of the Multi-Site Church Movement From multiple locations to internet campuses, the multi-site church movement is changing the shape of the church. What is this rapidly expanding phenomenon all about? Experience the revolution for yourself and see why it has become the 'new normal' for growing churches. A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip takes you on a tour of multi-site churches across America to see how they're handling the opportunities and challenges raised by this dynamic organizational model. Travel with tour guides Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Warren Bird, authors of The Multi-Site Church Revolution, on their engaging and humorous journey that shows creative ways churches of all kinds are expanding their impact through multiple locations. Hear the inside stories and learn about the latest developments. Find out firsthand how the churches in this book are broadening their options for evangelism, service, and outreach---while making better use of their ministry funds.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Hop On for a Guided Tour of the Multi-Site Church Movement From multiple locations to internet campuses, the multi-site church movement is changing the shape of the church. What is this rapidly expanding phenomenon all about? Experience the revolution for yourself and see why it has become the 'new normal' for growing churches. A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip takes you on a tour of multi-site churches across America to see how they're handling the opportunities and challenges raised by this dynamic organizational model. Travel with tour guides Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Warren Bird, authors of The Multi-Site Church Revolution, on their engaging and humorous journey that shows creative ways churches of all kinds are expanding their impact through multiple locations. Hear the inside stories and learn about the latest developments. Find out firsthand how the churches in this book are broadening their options for evangelism, service, and outreach---while making better use of their ministry funds. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Geoff Surratt is on staff of Seacoast Church, a successful and high-visibility multi-site church. Geoff has twenty-four years of ministry experience in churches. Along with his wife and two children, he lives in Charleston, South Carolina. He is coauthor of The Multi-Site Church Revolution and author of Ten Stupid Things That Keep Churches from Growing.

Greg Ligon serves as Vice President and Director of Multi-Site Church Leadership Communities for Leadership Network, which involves location visits to over fifty multi-site churches. A capable writer, he also coauthored The Multi-site Church Revolution and is Leadership Network's Publisher. He and his wife have two children and live in Dallas, Texas.

Warren Bird (PhD, Fordham University) serves as a primary researcher and writer for Leadership Network and has more than ten years of church staff and of seminary teaching experience. He has collaboratively written twenty books, all on subjects of church health or church innovation. Warren and his wife live just outside of New York City. SPANISH BIO: Warren Bird, pastor ordenado por mas de veinte anos, obtuvo un doctorado en sociologia de religion en la Universidad Fordham y ademas maestrias de la Facultad Wheaton y el Seminario Teologico Alliance. Sirve como director del departamento de capital de investigacion e intelecto en la Red de Liderazgo y tiene mas de diez anos de experiencia ensenando en seminarios. Ha colaborado como autor en varios libros acerca de la salud e innovacion de la iglesia entre ellos, La iglesia emocionalmente sana. Warren y su esposa, Michelle, residen en las afueras de Nueva York.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; 1 edition (September 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310293944
• ISBN-13: 978-0310293941
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Take the Road Trip, March 8, 2010

By 

Jeff Meyer (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip: Exploring the New Normal (Leadership Network Innovation Series) (Paperback)

Sometimes it's affirming to hear that other missional leaders are asking the same questions...and coming to the same conclusions. It's encouraging to see that God is moving ministries of all backgrounds, shapes and sizes to embrace Jesus' mission to reach the world.

I was certainly encouraged as I worked my way through "The Multi-Site Church Road Trip". As the authors shared their insights gleaned from the personal experiences in 14 multi-site churches, I found myself resonating with much of what they said. The broad look at all of these unique ministries reasserted to me the depth and breadth of the Christian Church. I look forward to the day when my church denomination will be able to contribute to a work like this!

The book was very practical, and yet never prescribed one model over the other. I appreciated the general introductions to these dynamic ministries, and yet, never felt pressured to adopt any one particular practice. In a day when individual uniqueness and clarity in the church are gaining momentum, I am grateful for authors/ speakers/ practitioners who share examples without prescription. As I read through the observations from the authors, there was one theme that consistently rose to the top: missional churches who are embracing the multi-site vision are forever in a grand experiment. This is our story too.

Here are my top 10 thoughts that I gained from reading this book:

1) Multi-site is motivated by Christ's Mission! Multi-site is a 2,000 year approach to address the challenge of reaching people and making disciples. pg. 18

2) Most multi-site churches are trading the Starbucks model (franchising) for a tour through "Legoland". Multi-site churches are "able to showcase a tremendous variety of sizes and designs, but it is still evident that everything is built from the same building blocks." pg. 29

3) If you decide to embrace multi-site you will need to decide whether you will be a church with additional sites, or one church of multiple sites. Chapter 3

4) Healthy multi-sites have developed their DNA over time. That DNA can become the engine for expansion. But the DNA must be reproducible. pg. 48

5) "Location is a means to an end." pg. 72 Multi-site flies in the face of the "irrational belief that people are in community because they show up at the same physical space each week." pg. 48

6) Make sure your model is motivated by mission, and not by growth! "Your heart cannot be, 'We want to put up another campus.' Instead your heart has to be, 'We want to reach that community.' You need to be okay with the idea that the community is worth serving even if you never open the doors to a campus there.'" pg. 79

7) Some are embracing multi-site to enter into communities where existing churches are leaving. "What would it say to the community if you moved into a neighborhood that other churches were leaving and decided to make a difference?" pg. 83

8) Embrace technology! "'What new technologies on the horizon could we harness for kingdom use within current fund limitations?'" pg. 113

9) Be willing to adapt and embrace change! "Adding sites/ locations will mean changing the way you are organized." pg. 116

10) Leadership! Leadership! Leadership! Multi-site can actually allow for more people to use their gifts. The 5-fold gifts (APEPT/ Ephesians 4:11) are seen more clearly. Intentional development and articulation of your "Leadership Greenhouse" is mandatory for replication. "Good leadership is always the key to healthy, growing churches. That need multiplies and increases in multi-site churches. Effective multi-site churches have an established culture and well-developed strategies for reproducing and growing biblical leaders." pg. 188

We have embraced the multi-site vision for one reason: it is the best way we can reach out to our neighbors, and friends and love them in the name of Jesus. We pray as this happens more and more frequently throughout our mission field that God's name would be glorified and that disciples will be made! "We must not forget that it's essential for churches to embrace a vision for replication and multiplication, fueled by the confidence that more people will come to know Christ as we bring the church to them in a way that they understand." pg. 218

If you are considering multi-site or are already multi-site, take the road trip!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting new opportunities for churches, January 14, 2010

By 

John Gibbs (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip: Exploring the New Normal (Leadership Network Innovation Series) (Paperback)

Multi-site churches are becoming the new "normal", according to Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon and Warren Bird in this book, and they estimate that there are now more than 3,000 multi-site churches in the United States, whereas there were only about 300 ten years ago. To illustrate the benefits and variety of multi-site churches, the authors took a "road trip" and came up with a number of really interesting insights.

Seacoast Church has 13 different campuses, and some of these are quite big (5,000 attenders) whereas others are quite small (80 attenders). Teaching is mostly done by video. The smaller campuses get the benefits of being part of a larger church (access to high quality resources, specialist ministries, etc), while the larger campuses get the benefits of smaller churches (more opportunities for people to serve in meaningful ways, etc).

Christ the King Community Church International has 17 US and more than 100 international sites. Teaching is done in person at each site. Christ the King is a church of small groups, and it uses deliberately simple, low-tech, low-cost approaches to multiplying its ministry. Lifechurch.tv, on the other hand, is a leader in the use of technology in its 14 campuses, and it includes a fully online campus which can be attended by anyone in any country of the world.

The book includes examples from many other churches. Multi-site models have been used to kick-start the planting of new churches, and they have been effective in revitalising dying churches. Almost any church will find something of interest in the book; it certainly gave me a number of ideas about reaching unchurched people more rapidly and more cost-effectively. I recommend this book to all church leaders, including those who have never heard of or considered multi-site church strategies.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Review of A Multi-Site Road Trip, March 8, 2010

By 

William Eric Manuel - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip: Exploring the New Normal (Leadership Network Innovation Series) (Paperback)

Review of A Multi-Site Road Trip

Publications abound on new ways to do church, innovative ministry, and forms of leadership. Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Warren Bird, add to this array of material, and in doing so, provide church leaders with an invaluable resource on the concept of the multi-site church.

This book chronicles of the research that the authors have done on more than 100 multi-site churches, based on observation, interviews, and reflection on the practices of these churches.

"Multi-site is the new normal" (11), claim the authors. While the concept of one church meeting in various locations to many is a new idea, the practical outworking of this is not. Throughout the book, the authors not only describe what multi-site churches are, but show what these churches are doing that makes them successful. Far from being only theoretical, the authors profile multi-sites churches to show how they are working. This is perhaps the most important aspect of the book.

The book is divided into 15 chapters, with an introduction and epilogue:

Introducing the Road Trip

The Multi-site Variety Pack
The Church Planting Versus the Campus Launch Dilemma
Getting Multi-Site Into Your Genes
You Want to Launch a Campus Where?
Changing Your Community One Campus at a Time
Internet Campuses-Virtual or Real Reality?
Fun with Technology
Structure Morphing
Going Global
Shared Communicator
Merger Campuses-No Longer a Bad Idea
Two-or More-At Once
Multiplied, Multiple Leaders
Are You Sure this Isn't a Sin?
Grandchildren Already?
Epilogue:Predictions of What's Next

There are also appendices suggesting additional resources and providing various campus pastor job descriptions.

I will note several highlights that I found important. Chapter 6, on internet campuses, is especially informative. While internet campuses have been used by some churches for a number of years, this concept is just starting to get attention. While the authors show the benefits of an internet campus, such as involving people where they live, seeing the internet as a specific region and target population,the ability to reach into international ares, and relative cost, they by means disregard the criticisms of the internet campus. Problems such as addressing issues of discipleship, the use of technology, and the connections that are needed by people. This is a common thread through each case study. The authors not only write about the successes of various multi-site churches, but also about the failures and problems that these churches have encountered along the way.In chapter 8, the authors deal with the issue of organizational structure in utilizing a multi-site. They deal with issues surrounding the campus pastor, finances, and support. These are some of the most practical issues that churches ask when trying to understand the multi-site phenomenon. The remaining chapters contain information that is just as useful, and will be of great use to church leaders.

Another point that comes from this research is that multi-sites are not just for megachurches, although many of the churches profiled are.

This book is a great introduction to the concept of multi-site churches, As stated earlier, this is not a book on just why multi-sites are working, but an honest appraisal of the challenges that are encountered. With the effects of globalization, technology, and cultural change, multi-sites can provide a tremendous opportunity for churches to increase their mission in a way that can be effective and substantive. The authors are to be commended on their research,and hopefully more books based on field research of multi-site churches will come as a result of this book. This book is highly recommended to pastors, church leaders, and those involved in evangelism research as a staring point to understand the practical aspects of multisite ministry.