the Glocal Trekker Blog

I'm asked this all the time - where do I stand on it - so here goes. This is a "both - and" not "either - or" in my book. We simply need to do both. We should however realize they are two different things and not the same thing at all.

Multi-site is expansion. It's growing your church, with your leadership, with your resources, with your staff, with all your stuff at a different location. That's not bad - that's good. It's like enlarging your auditorium or adding worship services - what's wrong with that? All healthy churches are growing so it's another way of reaching more people.

Church planting is extension, it's reproduction - not production. It's taking your DNA and birthing an entirely unique individual or in this case church. Expansion is growing myself. Extension is growing beyond myself. You may use your leadership, resources, staff, etc. at first to help launch it like you nurture a child - but then you let go and the child is on their own - another incarnational representation of the body of Christ in a community.

When a multi-site says they're multiplying - no they're not - they're growing one organism. When we have to pick between multi-site and church planting do you really need me to tell you what I think? Is the kingdom more served by being under the single roof of a church or spread out in multiple congregations in a community?

I believe as soon as you get large enough to plant you should do it first so that you set the DNA of multiplication in your church. Churches that don't - never do! They're always waiting until they have just a little more money, a little more size - and they never get there. Think like a missionary to your city - church it! Once that's done, then do multi-site. At a minimum for every multi-site a church does, it should plant a church first. A one to one ratio at least is respectable and says you do care about multiplying!