Every multisite church is different. What do you want your new campus to be like? What is important to you? When constructing a new campus, there are four questions to ask yourself that will help you decide what to reproduce at your new campus.
To create the vision of your new multisite church campus, you must first ask yourself what you want to reproduce at your new campus. What do you value as a church? What is important to your congregation? Establish first what it is that you value as important. Think about what you want your church to stand for, what you want your church to look like, and what characteristics you want your church to have. If someone comes to your church to observe, what would they say is important to your church? These values at your original campus provide a ground base to what you want to transfer to the new campus.
When you think about starting a new campus, think about what your church is uniquely good at. The things you value may not be the things you are good at. What is specifically unique about your church that cannot be found anywhere else? For example, does your church have a great worship team or provide a memorable gift to first-time guests? Are your parking attendants friendly, or is your church known for community involvement? Think about what sets your church apart and capitalize on that attribute.
Now that you’ve established what you value as a church and what you’re uniquely good at, what is reproducible? Think about the positive attributes and values that your church carries and what you want your new campus to represent. Reproduce the vision of your new church with the values that are unique to your church. Make sure that these things can be transferred to multiple campuses.
Although it’s crucial to brainstorm what you should reproduce, it’s equally important to know what you shouldn’t reproduce at your new campus. What are some things you wish your church did differently or could be better at? What things should you change altogether? A new campus should maintain the church’s originality and values, but the new campus should also consider what things they shouldn’t reproduce. What can you remove from your church and it still be you? The answer to this question leaves the church’s core DNA. The core DNA should be the foundation of your new campus.
*This content by Geoff was adapted from our course, Moving Toward Multisite. Are you moving toward multisite? Trying to figure out how to launch your first campus, or your next one? Check out our course, Moving Toward Multisite and unlock 18 modules packed with essential training so that you can move toward multisite.
Geoff Surratt (@GeoffSurratt) has over 30 years of ministry experience and enjoys helping church planters just starting out, pastors growing a ministry, and megachurch leaders figuring what is next.
