Lately I’ve been revisiting the issue of multi-site churches. A multi-site church is loosely defined as “one church that meets in multiple locations” or “one church–many congregations.” My first encounter with multi-site churches was in Denmark 20 years ago. I also ran across an extensive network of congregations functioning as one church in Argentina shortly afterwards. Eventually, the model started catching on here in the U.S. too.

Like any model, multi-site works well in some cases and not so well in others. Recently I recommended in one planting situation that they explore using a multi-site approach. In this case, the potential planter has a strong shepherding gift that would make him a great fit for equipping and working alongside people to build an effective church. Yet his teaching gift is not strong, indicating that he would do well as part of a team rather than trying to a plant independently.

So the next ten blog entries are my reflections on the multi-site model. It’s still quite popular, there’s a lot to think through, and you need to be doing it for the right reasons in the right context. I welcome your thoughts on these points, especially from those of you with direct experience. We can all learn from one another this way.