Church mergers are increasingly common, especially with the rise of the multisite model. While mergers can be strategic for growth, they also carry risks. If your board is considering a merger, it’s crucial to understand […]
Sir Isaac Newton established that P=MV. Momentum (P) is directly proportional to the object’s mass (M) and velocity (V). The formula applies as much to a growing church as it does for a […]
Hey Fletch … Our church is talking about merging with another church. We would be the lead and adopt their church. We are a setup/teardown church, and they have a paid-off building. I’m working on […]
Several years ago, I stood in the back of our newest campus during the campus’s first baptism service. This campus was a merger with a 15-year-old church that had lost its evangelistic effectiveness. An older […]
Is the size of a church a leading indicator of health? The idea that a big church is healthy, or a small church is not healthy, may lead to false conclusions. A healthy […]
Digital solutions undoubtedly play a significant role in Church today, but the technology churches leverage (and how) continues to evolve. Pushpay recently released its 2023 State of Church Technology report, and findings show […]
The multisite model changed the trajectory of the church in America at the beginning of the 21st century. But what about today? What is the new normal for multisite in the post-pandemic era? […]
What practical insights and trends could research on 3,000 church planters and campus pastors offer? Learn as findings from ECFA’s historic and groundbreaking research are unveiled along five […]
Is a merger or acquisition right for your church? While there can be many benefits, a successful merger or acquisition requires more than just finding another church that feels like a natural fit.
Join […]
Let’s go inside two different mergers. One looks through the eyes of the joining church, exploring what led up to starting the merger conversation, what issues they needed to work through, […]
Fletch talks more with Warren Bird and Jim Tomberlin about the preliminary findings on “Church Mergers” for those who participated in their online survey. Bird and Tomberlin write:
Topics include:
• What motivated your church […]
Fletch talks with Warren Bird and Jim Tomberlin about the preliminary findings on “Church Mergers” for those who participated in their online survey. Bird and Tomberlin write:
Have you experienced a church merger first-hand? […]
When the modern multisite practices were started, I had the happy accident of being around. Working with our team at Leadership Network, we set up a gathering of 100 or so practitioners in Chicago in […]
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Hey Fletch … I have admired you from afar and the work you do! We are a multisite church with over 3,000 people. We need some creative strategies for future campus expansion. […]
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Hey Fletch … Quick question—from your experience gained through XPastor or otherwise, do you have a sense on how often a campus pastor typically teaches in a video-venue model where the lead […]
Chris Mavity and David Fletcher talk about leadership teams in churches that have multiple campuses. Chris Mavity is a national leader in helping churches work through multisite issues. What should the all-church leadership team look […]
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Hey Fletch … In response to the March 8, 2018 “Hey Fletch” column, let me add (and feel free to use my name here): In regard to how often our people come […]
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Hey Doc … Here in India I am pioneering a church planting ministry. We, are doing some income generating projects based on the people and the places. I would like to request […]
When I launched the first video-based campus of Willow Creek in 2001, the primary question was, “Can this work?” Thousands of multisite churches later, the question has shifted to, “Should my church go multisite?”
What started […]
How is the “new normal” of multisite changing how we do church in America? In an increasingly secularized nation with overall church attendance in decline, multisite churches are growing in number and church attendance. The multisite strategy […]
One of the challenges of launching a church or multisite campus in a rented space is finding an excellent location where you can maximize the worship, children’s, and first impressions experiences. Schools seem to be […]
Remember way back when there were no multisite churches? Back when church planting (and releasing) was the ultimate form of sacrificial expansion for the sake of the Kingdom? Back when dinosaurs were around and roaming […]
No two church plants are exactly the same. People, communities, economics and ministry purpose are only a few of the many variables church planters must work within. While God’s purpose should be the centerpiece of […]
What challenges do churches face when they launch a new site in a rented space? Why do some churches actually leave their permanent building to move into rented spaces in neighborhoods? What are the best […]
I love this definition of a factory: “The source of prolific production.” Isn’t that what we all want in ministry? Don’t we all want to create an environment where disciples, small groups, ministry and even […]
The multisite model continues to be a proven and cost-effective vehicle. The multisite experiment began as a pre-recession band-aid strategy for megachurches that were out of room or restricted by zoning laws. It became the […]
Starting a new campus is tough. Sustaining an existing campus is even tougher. But nothing compares to trying to keep a campus afloat when it becomes a big drain on the operational budget. It can […]
As the multisite and church planting movements continue to become the fastest form of multiplication and community impact, an increasing number of churches are looking to facilities they would lease rather than own. Given this […]
The church building and religious-use facility industry is being dramatically and permanently altered by factors that began emerging at the dawn of the 21st century. In 1989, popular author Ken Follett wrote a riveting best-selling […]
The following question and answer dialogue is between Bob Wood, a Campus Pastor with Central Christian Church and Greg Rupley, one of our students in the XPastor Online Course. They will discuss Bob’s experiences in helping […]
The excitement of seeing God bring more people to the doors of the church—as He works in the hearts and lives of our neighbors and friends—can also bring challenges. The reality of physical space—worship center […]
Each year, thousands of U.S. churches—plus tens of thousands of others elsewhere around the globe—are sensing that they could fulfill their God-given mission better together than separately. They’re exploring new ways to join forces for […]
Two friends of XPastor have written an insightful book, Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work. Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird have collaborated to bring us a great work on church mergers. Here is what Amazon says […]
For the first several years of our marriage, my wife and I were “renters.” We began in a wonderful, two-bedroom apartment. Upon hearing that we were pregnant with our second child, we moved into a […]
In May 2006, the rented building that our 2-year-old church plant was using was no longer available to us. We were given two weeks to vacate and secure a new location, suitable for 200 people […]
I walked in the darkened auditorium and saw Toby Slough pacing a sixteen-foot path on the stage. On two side screens, I saw close-ups of Toby. There was a blink and Toby disappeared from center stage—then I […]
In Christianity Today, Associate Editor Edward Gilbreath presents a thesis which could serve as a cogent rationale for the selection of case study churches. In the cover story, Gilbreath writes on “The New Capital of […]
On September 13, NewPointe Community Church in Dover, Ohio, embarked on a journey into the realm of multisite or multiple campus church. We decided to launch two additional campuses on the same day, in two […]
