Ramblings of an innovative Church Multiplication Specialist….on Launch Strong & Thrive
Knowing for weeks that this post needed to be written, I began thinking about how important momentum is, oddly enough, at the State Fair! While watching my grand-twins enjoying the mid-way rides for small people, I glanced over to see the rollercoaster full of riders trying to anticipate the exhilaration yet to come. The slow click click click of the cars arduously being towed up the stupidly steep slope made me smile. I could see what was coming – and the riders could only anticipate it. I’m just that kinda guy! The inexperienced riders shake their heads profusely anticipating the forces of gravity as they break the summit! Then it happened, the screams and wild laughter began as it felt like their momentum was out of control, yet knowing it was under complete control! That’s why it was fun!
There are a few observable rules about momentum:
- Gravity can be wonderful and mean all at the same time.
- Pushing anything uphill is hard – and rarely fun!
- Riding downhill can be fun and exciting – as long as it’s under control.
- Building momentum before going uphill is more hopeful than starting from a dead standstill.
- Nobody likes pushing big things uphill themselves – but they don’t mind having others do it!
When a church is launching at a new location, whether as a solo planter or a church that is planting or Multisiting, MOMENTUM is a big deal. Church Planters and Churches that launch new locations should always consider the momentum generators they can harness. What does momentum look like for a rapidly growing church?
- Clear and compelling Gospel of Jesus Christ!
- A clear and compelling vision for multiplication rather than addition.
- Sent people on mission is a part of the DNA, culture, and expectation.
- Dedicated and focused leadership.
- Excellence – How does “good enough” even work in the church???
- It is Funded well.
In 2022, ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) launched a survey titled ‘The New Faces of Church Planting and Multisiting” under the leadership of Warren Bird, Ph.D., ECFA’s Senior Vice President of Research and Equipping. https://www.ecfa.org/Surveys.aspx!
Warren has done extensive research on sustaining momentum in the church. I’m not sure I ever saw him use the word Momentum, but his heart for the church just screams the sentiment. Some of the conclusions that can be drawn from this research suggest, when a church is launching a new location, there are several factors that impact momentum. Two of the most critical are underfunded launches, and not having a strong launch team (numbers not quality, although quality doesn’t hurt). That means not even sniffing, much less crossing the line of “this will do.”
Specifically, Dr. Bird addresses momentum and the individual/solo church planter (New Faces of Church Planting). My take on his conclusions include:
- A vision for multiplication (more than 1 new expression of the church) sets the tone and the momentum in the “Thrive Direction”
- New Churches that grow are more focused on Evangelism and less on existing believers
- Top three reasons for closing a recently planted church:
- Lack of adequate core group/launch team.
- Lack of funding.
- Lack of adequate facilities.
Equally, Dr. Bird considers the numbers on momentum of existing churches that Launch New Locations (both planting and/or Multisiting). My take on his conclusions for multisite in “New Faces of Church Multisite” include:
- There is a high drive and vision for reaching new people with Jesus’ Gospel and doing so by taking the church closer to the people we’re trying to reach. This means sending members back to their home communities to be effective agents at home.
- “Multisite Churches” effectively do so by both campusing AND planting.
- On average when launching new location, Multisiting churches invest 8x more $$ than planters, and launch with twice as many in attendance on launch day as planters, reaping the benefits of that momentum into the future.
- Average worship seating for multisite regardless of the venue is 201-500.
Leaders who are helping to grow strong and healthy churches, and even launching new expressions of the church, should generate as many downhill experiences as you can. Certainly, when gravity hits as it often does, the momentum you’ve developed will sustain your THRIVE!
