4 Tensions Every Multisite Church Must Manage - Part 2

Click here to read Part 1:

1. Autonomy vs Alignment & 2. Global vs Local

3. PRESENT VS FUTURE

Since its founding in 1994, Amazon has grown to become one of the most successful companies in the world. Yet it was not always obvious that it would become the juggernaut we see today. It took nine years before it finally turned a profit in 2003 and Amazon was criticized for this in the early years. But while other technology startups were generating huge short-term profits, founder Jeff Bezos and the leaders at Amazon remained focused on a long-term strategy. Their plan was to keep prices low and focus on customer satisfaction, knowing they may lose money on individual sales but over time would gain more loyal customers, more sales and -- eventually -- more profits. Their patience has paid off and Amazon is now one of the few companies in the world whose total stock value is over $2 trillion dollars.

How do we focus our time, energy and resources on the needs right in front of us while still laying the groundwork for healthy growth in the future? Ministry leaders have to manage this tension, especially in multisite churches where this is magnified and multiplied by the added complexity of campuses. It feels like Sunday comes around every four days and the demands of maintaining present ministry can dominate over the need to plan for the future. Current systems and structures are being tested and stretched even as they are being adapted and updated. You are building the plane while you fly it. You are trying to develop leaders for your ministry needs today while dreaming about about leaders for your next campus launch team tomorrow. You need to spend money to maintain an aging campus even as you reserve funds for a new one. There are many considerations at play like pace of growth, rate of expansion, financial feasibility, the emotional bandwidth of the staff or spiritual bandwidth of the congregation to sustain another campus launch and more. And yet somehow all of these priorities must be weighted against each other in order to make wise decisions. The mark of a healthy multisite church is the ability to do excellent present ministry and plan for sustainable future ministry both at the same time.

Some ways to manage the tension of Present vs Future are:

• Create clear standards and expectations for what "excellence" or "success" for ministry looks like. Defining and supporting/enforcing quality standards will reveal whether a campus is ready to multiply or not.

• Develop a multisite master plan that includes a long-term multiplication strategy and measurable benchmarks to help determine when it is time to launch a new campus.

• Look beyond the numbers to the people who will help launch the next campus. Create feedback loops and other ways of keeping your finger on the pulse of your staff and congregation. If they are fatigued by years of campus multiplication, it doesn't matter if the numbers tell you it's time to launch.

• Create an intentional leadership development plan. You need a pipeline of mature, equipped leaders to pioneer the ministry work at the next campus.

4. US VS THEM

Humans are hard-wired by God with a desire to join groups, form tribes and create coalitions. There is safety in numbers and our deep longing to be known by others is satisfied when we are part of a community. Author Seth Godin says it this way in his book Tribes:

“Human beings can’t help it: we need to belong. One of the most powerful of our survival mechanisms is to be part of a tribe, to contribute to and take from a group of like-minded people.”

How can we cultivate on our staff strong affinity for the church as a whole while also empowering gifted leaders to create a deep sense of "team" with those they lead. Ministry leaders have to manage this tension, especially in multisite churches where this is magnified and multiplied by the added complexity of campuses. In a ministry setting, this tendency to create teams can be both a strength and a weakness. We want our staff to resonate with our church's culture and values because when they feel like they belong, it adds depth and meaning to the work of ministry we're doing together. But the reality is, their personal connection to the church is going to be primarily through the person leading their specific team. Any capable leader is going to build team chemistry and establish a sense of unity amongst those being led. If the identity of the individual team or campus begins to overshadow their connection to the whole, it fosters competition for who gets finite resources or who has better results. That "us" verses "them" dynamic can quickly form organizational silos or rivalries that contribute to a toxic culture. And this is not limited to staff. Campus congregations can develop a sense of identity that undermines their connection to the whole chuch. This weakness will be revealed in moments like a churchwide capital campaign or a major leadership transition when unity and confidence in the overall church leadership is crucial. The mark of a healthy multisite church is the ability of campuses to collaborate with each other without competing against each other.

Some ways to manage the tension of Us vs Them are:

• Add specific language to both campus staff and central staff job descriptions about collaboration with other campuses. Clearly defining this as an expectation (and hopefully ensuring it through the performance review process) makes it more likely that it will happen.

• WIth both the campus staff and campus congregations, publicly and enthusiastically celebrate the wins of other campuses to create a sense of churchwide unity.

• Provide opportunities for staff with similar functions across different campuses to spend time with each other. For example, all the worship leaders or preschool directors or facility managers across all campuses gather together on a regular basis.

Click here to read Part 1:

1. Autonomy vs Alignment & 2. Global vs Local