Tonight I had the privilege to visit North Coast Church in Vista. I had set up a meeting with Chris Mavity (multi-site guru) before their Saturday night services (I also got the chance to talk briefly with Dave Enns their small group pastor- who I found out grew up in the Dinuba/Reedley area and knows a number of people at our church). I chose North Coast in order to get more information on thoughts that NC leadership have been tossing around. Do we build? Do we go multi-site? What are the advantages of each? I chatted with Chris for nearly an hour and a half before walking around to check out their campus and the different venues that are held on Saturday night. I have to say, when I first drove up on campus I was not impressed. If I was to judge a book by its cover, I probably wouldn't buy it. Their church was located in an industrial park area. They had bought up many of the old buildings and turned them into venue sites, offices, and children's rooms. Their facilities didn't equate to all the hype I've been hearing about them. So I was intrigued about how they were being so effective in reaching people for Jesus in so many different ways. You can go to their website to find out about all the different details behind the 22 different services (with 9 different venue choices- none of which hold more than 550 people- yet they reach over 7000 people weekly) on five different campuses (www.northcoastchurch.com) most of which are with live or recorded video teaching. I have talked with a lot of people that say they would never go to a church in which you see the pastor teaching on a screen. I have had some of the same feelings in the past. However, as I moved around to the different venues and ultimately ended up sitting in their Edge venue (more edgy music and feel) I began to understand why it wasn't a big deal for most people there. It only took about 30 seconds and I was able to focus in on the person teaching on the screen- like he was really up on stage. I was fascinated how the crowd interacted. They laughed, yelled back answers like he was really up there. Everything else was live in each one of their venues- music, announcements, etc. They even had a campus pastor that served as the relational connection to many in their little community. However, I wanted to share just a couple of things I learned and get some feedback from you on what you think. According to Chris, the multi-site approach: 1. Brings together the best aspects of larger churches and smaller churches. 2. Improves a church's stewardship of funds and resources. 3. Increases the total number of available seats during optimal worship times. 4. Enables untapped talent to emerge each time a new venue or site is opened. 5. Increases options of location and sometimes of worship style too. 6. Provides a pipeline for the development of emerging leaders and future staff. 7. Creates growth that happens like polyps (reach more diverse community). Although I'm still digesting what I just experienced, it took me back to the ending of a book I just finished reading (The Multi-Site Church Revolution). "Jesus left the church with one final instruction: make disciples, baptize, and teach. The apostle Paul was so committed to fulfilling that mission that he constantly looked for new and innovative ways to spread the gospel.... The churches in the first century were not defined by a building or a location. Groups of believers met in homes, in synagogues, and in the open air. They did not think of themselves as distinct communities competing for members; they saw themselves as part of the whole...The future of the multi-site church might be a return to the mind-set of the first century believer, when the word church did not refer to a specific building or a location but to a group of believers connected to other groups of believers by a common mission- a church not built around personality or a facility but instead built around a mission. Whenever 2 or 3 believers gather, there could be a new campus. Churches could meet in homes, in coffee shops, in break rooms at work. Resources could be directed at spreading the gospel and meeting the needs of the community rather than at more land and bigger buildings. Church might no longer be thought of as an hour on Sunday or a visit to a building. Church might become a lifestyle lived every day in every place the believer walks." Thanks for reading through my very long blog. I would love to hear what you think. I realize that the "multi-site" concept might still be a bit vague for most of you, but I would love to interact with you about the advantages and disadvantages of NC looking into this concept in the near future as we continue together on a journey to passionately follow Jesus by... Loving God, Loving People, and Serving our World!
2 comments:
I'm sold! Sounds like you had a great experience and that North Coast was very gracious..very cool. I can't wait to hear about your visits with the Flood and Rock Harbor.
Great thoughts Kelly - what if Neighborhood Church really became a "neighborhood" church, popping up in several neighborhoods around Visalia; the church scattered being just as if not more important than the church gathered, and best of all - your big bald head could be telecast live all over the city.
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