This blog entry is part of a series of reflections on the multi-site model of church. After the whole series has been posted, you can do a search for multi-site within the blog to pull up the whole series.
Communicate your expectations—and the vision—over and over again. This is good advice no matter what kind of church you lead, but it’s absolutely essential advice if you’re leading a multi-site church. There are simply more moving parts that could lead to misunderstanding or vision fuzzyness (to use the technical term).
Most members do not understand the multi-site model and what is—or is not—required of them. If you have certain expectations (such as attending at one site, serving at one site, where pastoral care is located, etc.), you’ll have to communicate that repeatedly and consistently … and way more often than seems necessary. Avoid sending mixed messages such as “choose one site and commit there, but we’re all still one church.” People will feel a sense of loyalty either to the site or to the overall church, but probably not to both, so be clear on where you expect their loyalty to lie.
Decide on a clear vision and cast it over and over.